This 11 CD Berlioz compilation was reviewed
here in May 2003 and I would refer you
to the excellent comments by Terry
Barfoot.
Why another review,
albeit four years later? I don’t think
anything has changed. There have been
no added items and the material is exactly
the same as before. However, we all
have differing opinions on the same
subject and I do have some observations,
if only because it behoves me to say
something after taking part in over
nine hours of listening. Not that the
experience hasn’t been pleasurable.
On the contrary, most of it has been
quite enriching and I will restrict
myself mostly to the manner Berlioz
has chosen to approach and treat his
works.
I should state from
the outset that my comments neither
diminish the professionalism in which
this album has been compiled, nor the
excellence of its orchestra, chorus
and soloists nor the leadership and
musicality of its conductor, Eliahu
Inbal.
Maestro Inbal has already
recorded for Denon a compilation of
Mahler’s Symphonies that included Das
Lied von der Erde. The Frankfurt
Radio Symphony Orchestra was in full
cry then also. Inbal is a 71 year old
Israeli national of vast musical experience
who came to the notice of Leonard Bernstein
and at one time used to mimic the great
American conductor by allowing himself
to be recorded while singing along to
whatever was being played. I don’t think
this album has any examples of this
idiosyncrasy!
For a non-religious
person Berlioz spent an inordinate amount
of time composing religious works. There’s
his first serious work Messe Solennelle
which he wrote in 1824 and allegedly
destroyed but which turned up in Antwerp
in 1991 and was given its first performance
in Paris in 1993. The Messe is
not part of this album but his other
religious works are: The Requiem
written in 1837, the Te Deum
completed in 1850 and the oratorio L’Enfance
du Christ written between the years
1850 and 1854. Except for the latter
the religious works on this compilation
are written in a style that would have
raised a few contemporary musical eyebrows.
The Requiem, except for one brief
episode in the Sanctus sung by
a tenor, uses only chorus and orchestra.
The choral music has been written so
that the voices are predominantly male
and the tenor line is strong and forceful.
That in itself is unusual for this period.
The orchestration for the brass section
is also very striking with four brass
bands playing simultaneously to ear-splitting
decibel readings in the Tuba Mirum.
The Te Deum is more conventional
although once again the soloist, another
tenor, is used sparingly.
L’Enfance du Christ is also very
conventional and what one would expect
from a French composer. It is operatic
in nature, relies heavily on strings
and woodwinds and the brass section
is seldom allowed to disrupt the tranquil
settings of the Holy Family’s flight
to Egypt. A ‘recitant’ and chorus are
used to help the story along although
the main characters of Herod, Joseph
and Mary are sung by a bass, a baritone
and a soprano respectively.
Berlioz was never accepted by his countrymen
as a composer of any great distinction.
Even to this day he is regarded much
more highly away from his country of
birth. Why that is the case is a matter
for conjecture. True his compositions
required a vast orchestra and French
classical music of the period was ostensibly
a more genteel affair, more intimate.
Berlioz’s writings were brash, a bit
over the top and highly unconventional.
The fact that Berlioz could only play
the flute and the guitar and couldn’t
illustrate any of his works on the instrument
all composers utilised for composition,
the piano, was held against him.
And yet it is this very
lack of established musical fundamentals
that propelled him to write such innovative
works as the Symphonie Fantastique
and, to a lesser extent, Harold en
Italie. If Berlioz had only written
his Symphonie and nothing else,
he would have forever been labelled
a genius. Of course, we all know how
Berlioz became infatuated with a Shakespearian
actress called Harriet Smithson and
how his passion for her led to the composition
of this semi-autobiographical symphony
which he subtitled ‘Episodes in the
life of an artist.’ The music is immediate,
the orchestration the stuff of story-telling
sans paroles, the tension intense
and the use of kettle drums echoing
in a darkened void, leading to the cataclysmic
Marche au Supplice is creative
music at its best. The final movement
Songe d’une nuit du Sabbat with
the ‘Dies Irae’ evoking reminders of
man’s mortality is spine-tingling. It
is almost supernatural in its appeal
and one wonders whether Berlioz was
not under the influence when he was
inspired to write it. This version of
Berlioz’s masterpiece is superb and
second only to Bernstein conducting
the New York Philharmonic.
Whereas Symphonie
Fantastique was inspired by Berlioz’s
infatuation with Harriet Smithson, Harold
en Italie was inspired by a lack
of funds. What was meant to be a viola
concerto commissioned by Niccolo Paganini
turned out to be a full-blown symphony
with the odd viola obbligato. Paganini
was not impressed with the work but
eventually gave Berlioz 20,000 francs
for his trouble when he (Paganini) realised
that the piece was not half bad. The
explosive finale alone is worth the
price of admission. But Paganini never
played the piece.
The money, however, enabled Berlioz
to compose Romeo et Juliette
which he labelled a ‘dramatic symphony’.
It’s a hybrid piece with seven movements,
a chorus, three soloists and a tender
orchestral love-scene tableau. The tenor,
mezzo-soprano and chorus are present
only as observers to aid the audience
understand how the story unfolds and
the bass part - Friar Lawrence, sung
here by Robert Lloyd - is the only singer
with a character part. This is Shakespeare-à-la-Berlioz
and not in any shape or form the noble
drama enacted at Stratford-on-Avon.
The words were actually written by Emile
Deschamps and even the plot is not strictly
as written by the Bard. The version
on which Berlioz based his piece was
performed with Harriet Smithson as Juliet
in September 1827. Forgetting for a
moment that Berlioz’s comprehension
of English was minimal, the play he
saw had already been adapted by David
Garrick and quite a few scenes had either
been changed or placed in a different
sequence.
I have left my comments
on La Damnation de Faust to last
- purposely. I am not a great fan of
it! Regardless how wonderful the individual
recording is, my judgement on hearing
this piece is always clouded by thoughts
of the sheer waste of time Berlioz expended
in composing it. Even 161 years after
its first performance - it was produced
at the Opera-Comique in 1846 - it can
only be described as a mosaic of pieces
which Berlioz vainly attempted to assemble
into something cohesive and comprehensible.
He should have given up after the first
hurdle in 1828 when he sent Goethe eight
Scenes from Faust and received
a resounding vote of no-confidence.
Shelved for a number of years he returned
to it and transformed it into an oratorio
and received a lukewarm reception when
first performed. Undaunted, he planned
to turn it into an opera but problems
arose and it has remained in its present
form unchanged. The music, vivid as
it is, encompasses such a wide range
of uncoordinated contrasts - a Hungarian
March that suddenly appears for no reason
at all, a turbulent tavern encounter,
a mad scene, a dream sequence, a musical
appreciation of nature - that certain
items would seem to have been included
purely for the sake of padding and adding
colour. Having said all that, this recording
is good. The singers are well matched
with perhaps Robert Lloyd as Mephistopheles
the best of a good bunch. His aria Voici
des roses is worth a listen or two.
Despite everything,
I feel better for having listened to
this compilation. Oh, thank you for
asking; yes, my ears are now back to
normal! The chorus work in particular
is outstanding and the orchestral playing
is, in most cases, superb.
I first heard Symphonie
Fantastique in the middle 1970s
as part of a Reader’s Digest compendium
of classical music and have been a fan
of Hector Berlioz ever since. This collection
of some of his hits is worthy of his
stature as a visionary composer.
Randolph Magri-Overend
see also review
by Terry Barfoot
Detailed track-listing
CD1
Symphonie fantastique Op. 14
1. Première partie: Rêveries-Passions
15:51
2. Deuxième partie: Un Bal 6:33
3. Troisième partie: Scène
aux Champs 16:57
4. Quatrième partie: Marche au
Supplice 6:51
5. Cinquième partie: Songe d'une
Nuit du Sabbat 9:53
CD2
Harold en Italie Op. 16
Symphonie en 4 parties avec un alto
principal
1. Harold aux montagnes. Scènes
de mélancolie, de bonheur, et
de joie 15:10
2. Marche de pèlerins chantant
la prière du soir 6:45
3. Sérénade d'un montagnard
des Abruzzes à sa maîtresse
5:54
4. Orgie des brigands. Souvenirs des
scènes precedents 12:33
CD3
La Damnation de Faust
Légende dramatique en 4 parties
PART 1
1. Scène 1: Plaines de Hongrie
5:25
2. Scène 2: Rondo de paysans
3:30
3. Scène 3: Une autre partie
de la plaine 0:49
4. Marche hongroise 4:31
PART 2
5. Scène 4: Nord de l'Allemagne
4:39
6. Chant de la Fête de Pâque
7:04
7. Scène 5: Allegro moderato
(O pure émotion!) 2:21
8. Scène 6: La cave d'Auerbach
à Leipzig 0:27
9. Choeur de buveurs 2:26
10. Chanson de Brander 2:10
11. Fugue sur le thème de la
chanson de Brander
2:41
12. Chanson de Méphistophélès
3:48
13. Scène 7: Bosquets et Prairies
du Bord de l'Elbe-Air de Méphistophélès
2:21
14. Choeur de gnomes et de sylphes-Songe
de Faust 6:16
15. Ballet des sylphes 3:46
16. Scène 8: Final- Choeur d'étudiants
et de soldats marchant vers la ville
5:37
CD4
La Damnation de Faust
Légende dramatique en 4 parties
PART 3
1. Scène 9: Tambours et trompettes
sonnant la retraite 1:09
2. Air de Faust 5:04
3. Scène 10: Moderato (Je l'entends!)
1:05
4. Scène 11: Allegretto non troppo
presto e dolce (J'ai peur comme une
enfant) 3:23
5. Le roi de Thulé, chanson gothique
5:18
6. Scène 12: Évo 1:56
7. Menuet des follets 6:20
8. Sérénade de Méphistophélès
2:19
9. Scène 13: Final: Duo 5:48
10. Scène 14: Trio et Choeur
4:59
PART 4
11. Scène 15: Romance 10:34
12. Scène 16: Invocation à
la nature 3:36
13. Scène 17: Récitatif
et chasse 3:18
14. Scène 18: La course à
l'abîme 3:32
15. Scène 19: Pandaemonium 4:30
16. Épilogue: Sur la terre 1:20
17. Dans le ciel 1:05
18. Apothéose de Marguerite 3:44
CD5
Roméo et Juliette - Symphonie
dramatique Op. 17
Text by Émile Deschamps after
Shakespeare
I. Introduction: Combats. Tumulte. Intervention
du Prince (Introduction: Combats. Tumult.
Intervention of the Prince)
1. Allegro fugato 4:53
2. Prologue 5:11
3. Strophes 6:33
4. Scherzetto 3:10
II. Roméo seul. Tristesse. Bruits
lointains de concert et de bal. Grand
fête chez Capulet. (Romeo alone.
Sadness. Music and dancing. Festivities
at the Capulets)
5. Andante malinconico e sostenuto (Roméo
seul) 1:29
6. Tristesse 2:56
7. Allegro (Bruits lointains de concert
et de bal) 1:49
8. Grand fête chez Capulet 6:20
III. Nuit sereine. Le jardin du Capulet,
silencieux et désert. Les jeunes
Capulets, sortant de la fête,
passent en chantant de réminiscenses
de la musique du bal. Scène d'amour.
(Night. The Capulet's garden, peaceful
and deserted. The young Capulets pass
on their way home, singing snatches
of the music of the bal. Love scene)
9. Allegretto 3:14
10. Adagio (Scène d'amour) 14:45
CD6
Roméo et Juliette Symphonie dramatique
Op. 17
Text by Émile Deschamps after
Shakespeare
1. IV. La Reine Mab, ou la fée
des songes. Scherzo 9:02
2. V. Convoi funèbre de Juliette
9:09
VI. Roméo au tombeau des Capulets.
Invocation. Réveil de Juliette.
Joi délilante, désespoir,
dernières angoisses et mort des
deux amants.
3. Allegro agitato e disperato, con
moto (Roméo au tombeau des Capulets)
1:17
4. Largo (Invocation) 2:41
5. Réveil de Juliette 1:23
6. Allegro vivace ed appassionato assai
(Joie délilante)
0:55
7. Désespoir, dernières
angoisses et mort des deux amants 1:32
VII. Finale
8. La Foule accourt au cimetière.
Rixe des Capulets, et des Montagus 1:36
Récitatif et Air du Père
Laurence
9. Récitatif 3:06
10. Air du Père Laurence 8:57
11. Sermet de reconciliation 4:44
CD7
L'Enfance du Christ / The Childhood
of Christ
Trilogie sacrée, Op. 25 - Text
by Hector Berlioz
Première Partie: Le Songe d'Hérode
1. Dans la crèche, en ce temps,
Jésus venait de naître
(Récitant) 1:43
Scène I: Une rue de Jérusalem.
Un corps de garde. Soldats romains faisant
une ronde de nuit.
2. Marche nocturne 7:24
Scène II: Intérieur du
palais d'Hérode
3. Air d'Hérode 7:43
Scène III: Hérode, Plydorus
(Récit.)
4. Seigneur! 0:51
Scène IV: Hérode, les
Devins (Récit.)
5. Les sages de Judée 3:31
6. Les Devins font des évolutions
cabalistique et procèdent à
la conjuration 1:26
7. La voix dit vrai, Seigneur 1:32
8. Eh bien...eh bien...par le fer qu'ils
périssent 2:28
Scène V: Etable de Béthléem
9. Duo: O mon cher fils 7:49
Scène VI: Les Anges invisibles,
Sainte Marie, Saint Joseph
10. Lento avec solennité; Joseph!
Marie! Écoutez-nous 4:37
CD8
L'Enfance du Christ / The Childhood
of Christ
Trilogie sacrée, Op. 25 - Text
by Hector Berlioz
DEUXIÈME PARTIE: La Fuite en
Egypte
1. Ouverture 6:16
2. Adieux des Bergers à la Sainte
Famille 3:02
3. Le Répos de la Sainte Famille
5:13
TROISIÈME PARTIE: L'Arrivée
à Saïs
4. Allegro non troppo (Récitant):
Depuis trois jours 3:24
Scène I: L'Intérieur de
la ville de Saïs (Ste Marie, Ste
Joseph, Choeurs de romains et d'Egyptiens)
5. Dans cette ville immense... 5:20
Scène II: L'Intérieur
de la maison des Ismaélites
6. Un peu moins vite (Père de
Famille): Entrez, entrez... 7:26
7. Trio pour deux flútes et harpe,
exécuté par les jeunes
Ismaélites 6:03
8. Récit. & Air, Père
de Famille et Choeur 4:47
Scène III: Epilogue
9. Lento (Récitant, Choeur) 10:01
CD9
Te Deum, Op. 22
1. Te Deum 6:38
2. Tibi omnes 8:01
3. Prélude 2:20
4. Dignare 5:55
5. Christe, Rex gloriae 4:42
6. Te ergo quaesumus 6:58
7. Judex crederis 8:38
Appendix
8. Marche pour la présentation
des drapeaux 4:19
CD10
Requiem - Grande Messe des Morts, Op.
5
1. Requiem & Kyrie, Introït
11:01
(Requiem aeternam; Te decet hymnus;
Kyrie eleison)
2. Dies Irae 5:15
(Dies Irae; Animez un peu; D minor)
3. Tuba mirum 6:21
(1. Andante maestoso; Tuba mirum; Mors
stupebit; Liber spiritus; Judex ergo)
4. Quid sum miser 3:10
5. Rex tremendae 5:39
(Rex tremendae; Qui salvandos; Rex tremendae;
Confutatis; Andante maestoso)
6. Quaerens me 5:27
7. Lacrimosa 9:29
CD11
Requiem - Grande Messe des Morts, Op.
5
1. Offertoire 9:05
(Domine Jesu Christe; Et sanctus Michael)
2. Hostias 3:26
3. Sanctus 10:26
(Sanctus (tenor solo); Hosanna (Fuga);
Sanctus (tenor solo); Hosanna (Fuga))
4. Agnus Dei 12:30
for
details
Keith Lewis (tenor) 
