the symphonie fantastique is a symphony written by the french composer hector berlioz. it is one of the most famous romantic works for orchestra. the official title of the piece is episode de la vie d’un artiste (an episode in the life of an artist), but it is always called by its subtitle "symphonie fantastique" which means "fantasy symphony". the “fantasy” refers to the story that is described by the music. ("fantasy symphony" is a better translation than "fantastic symphony" because "fantastique" is not like the modern meaning of the english word "fantastic").