Love and disappointment
Berlioz reconnects with Shakespearean actor Harriet Smithson and works on a new symphony based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. With Donald Macleod.
Turning his back on opera, Berlioz decides to bring Shakespeare into the concert hall. With Donald Macleod.
Berlioz burst onto the musical stage of 19th-century Paris, determined to break the mould of France’s elegant and refined classical style. He wanted to create music that could be bombastic, barbaric and grotesque, as well as sentimental, scintillating and sorrowful. In this, he was inspired by writers as much as fellow musicians. He was captivated by stories and crowded his imagination with the tales of Virgil, Scott, Goethe and, most of all, William Shakespeare. This week, Donald Macleod traces the tangled literary connections in Berlioz’s life and music, including the profound spell cast by Shakespeare over the composer’s art and personality.
Today, Berlioz reconnects with Shakespearean actor, Harriet Smithson, and is more determined than ever to make her his wife. But can the realities of married life ever hope to live up to his romantic imagination?
Lélio, ou Le Retour a la vie: II. Choeur d'Ombres
John Alldis Choir
London Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Sir Colin Davis
La Mort d’Ophélie
Sabine Devieilhe, soprano
Alexandre Tharaud, piano
Roméo et Juliette: Part 2, II. Scene d'amour
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Sir Andrew Davis
Tristia: III. Marche funèbre pour la dernière scène d'Hamlet
Choeur Les Éléments
Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
conducted by Michel Plasson
Le Roi Lear
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson
Last on
Music Played
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Hector Berlioz
Lélio, ou Le Retour a la vie: II. Choeur d'Ombres
Conductor: Colin Davis. Choir: The John Alldis Choir. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra.- PHILIPS : 416-961-2.
- PHILIPS.
- 8.
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Hector Berlioz
La Mort d'Ophélie
Performer: Alexandre Tharaud. Singer: Sabine Devieilhe.- ERATO : 9029576772.
- Erato.
- 12.
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Hector Berlioz
Roméo et Juliette: Part 2, II. Scene d'amour
Conductor: Andrew Davis. Orchestra: Â鶹ԼÅÄ Symphony Orchestra.- Chandos CHSA 5169.
- Chandos.
- 11.
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Hector Berlioz
Tristia: III. Marche funèbre pour la dernière scène d'Hamlet
Choir: Les Elements Chamber Choir. Orchestra: Toulouse Capitole Orchestra. Conductor: Michel Plasson.- ERATO : 6286162.
- ERATO.
- 8.
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Hector Berlioz
Le Roi Lear, Overture
Performer: Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Conductor: Alexander Gibson.- CHANDOS : CHAN-8316.
- CHANDOS.
- 2.
Broadcast
- Wed 8 Nov 2023 12:00Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3
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