Berlioz Carnevale Romano

Of all Berlioz’s Shakespeare-inspired works, Roméo et Juliette is unquestionably his masterpiece. It is also cast in an innovative new form, a kind of ‘super-symphony’ that incorporates elements of symphony, opera and oratorio. Berlioz composed no singing roles for the central characters, but allowed others to comment or narrate, giving latitude to incarnate the lovers in a musical language of extraordinary delicacy and passion. The vivid Ball Scene and Romeo at the Capulet tomb are intensely dramatic but the heart of the work is the Love Scene, a long symphonic poem which Richard Wagner called ‘the melody of the 19th century’.

Anne-Catherine Gillet - Barber - Berlioz - Britten (2011) {Aeon AECD 1113}
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© 2011 Aeon | AECD 1113
Classical / Vocal

Belgian soprano Anne-Catherine Gillet has had a significant career in European opera houses, but she has been little-known in the United States. Her 2011 solo album debut, an outstanding recording of three song cycles, ought to change that, though, and bring her to the attention of a broader public. She sings with a tone that is sweet, full, focused, and brightly colorful. Her intonation and technique are irreproachable. Her voice is absolutely solid, from the depths that Berlioz requires to a lyrically soaring top.

Hector Berlioz: Harold en Italie, Op. 16; La mort de Cléopâtre, scène lyrique
William Lincer, viola; Jennie Tourel mezzo-soprano; New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 346 MB; 3% Recovery| FLAC+LOG+Cue | Full scans | RS + 4shared links
Publisher: Sony Classical | Recorded: 1961 | Published: 1999

Harold is an electrifying reading that captures the raw passion of Berlioz better than any other. Throwing caution to the winds, Bernstein and Linzer (the Philharmonic's first-chair violist) are rough, edgy and incredibly exciting, eschewing entirely the refinement that passes for idiomatic Berlioz in other hands. Inexplicably omitted from the Royal Edition, this is one of the truly great Bernstein performances, giving Berlioz, the wild rebel of his time, his full due. It took a musician of Bernstein's youthful boldness to defy our established tradition to restore the composer's essential spirit. (Cleopatre, already in the Royal set, is a wonderful performance of Berlioz's early cantata.) - by Peter Gutmann

Daniel Barenboim - Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique & Liszt Les Preludes (2013) {Decca}
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© 2013 Decca | 478 5350
Classical / Symphony

After Decca’s best-selling Beethoven For All campaign and Barenboim’s Olympic appearance comes a celebration of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra’s 10th anniversary in a stunning Berlioz recording from the BBC Proms. This recording comes from WEDO’s 2009 Prom, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the West Eastern Divan Orchestra and marking a return to the roots of the orchestra’s conception in Weimar – a place where Liszt championed the works of Berlioz.

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Berlioz' Requiem needs a performance of spontaneous brilliance and almost manic intensity to come off. The reason is simple. The big movements–the Dies Irae sequence and Lachrymosa–use a huge chorus and a full orchestra including four brass bands (stationed in the four corners of the concert hall), eight sets of timpani (10 players), and additional percussion. After that, everything else sounds anti-climatic, unless the conductor somehow manages to keep the tension flowing through the quiet (and, let's not kid ourselves, dull) bits. Leonard Bernstein certainly manages the impossible, though God only knows how he does it. The recording helps–it really captures a sense of large forces in a big space, while projecting the aura of mystery that the intimate moments need if they're going to work. –David Hurwitz