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"The only truth is music." - Jack Kerouac

Hector Berlioz

Hector Berlioz is perhaps the most romantic of the romantics. His continuously changing moods split the traditional symphony orchestra into countless divisions, and his idealistic longing faded the borders between symphony, opera and oratoria. No wonder that this revolutionary expression gained little appreciation in its own time. The public of that age had barely overcome Beethoven's innovations. Reciprocally, Berlioz resented the audience and its conventions of the prevailing concert practice. In one of his writings, Berlioz dreamed of a Utopian city called Euphonia, in which commerce was banned and the arts stood at the centre of civilisation.  It wasn't until after his death that Berlioz gained the recognition he deserves. The most music lovers will know Berlioz from his Symphonie Fantastique, in which he portrayed several opium visions. With this out of control 'bad trip', he tried to win over the famous Shakespeare actress Harriet Smithson. Some other highlights of his career are his epic opera La Damnation de Faust, his symphony Roméo et Juliette, his Requiem and the opera Les Troyens

Featured on

Hector Berlioz
La captive
Lisa Larsson
Hector Berlioz, Norbert Palej
Les Nuits d'ete/The Poet And The War/Rorate Coeli
Shannon Mercer/Group Of Twenty Seven
Hector Berlioz
Grande Messe de Morts
Robert Murray
Hector Berlioz
La Damnation de Faust (International edition)
Bernard Haitink
Various composers
The Original Recordings 1951-1966
Willem van Otterloo
Hector Berlioz
La Damnation de Faust
Bernard Haitink & Radio Filharmonisch Orkest & Groot Omroepkoor
Hector Berlioz
Symphonie Fantastique
Philharmonia Orchestra
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Hector Berlioz, Christoph Willibald von Gluck
Kennedy sings arias by Mozart, Gluck, Berlioz
Andrew Kennedy
Various composers
Merry Christmas
Chicago Brass Quintet