"Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (; ; 11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic composer. His output includes orchestral works such as the ""Symphonie fantastique"" and ""Harold in Italy"", choral pieces including the Requiem and ""L'enfance du Christ"", his three operas ""Benvenuto Cellini"", ""Les Troyens"" and ""Béatrice et Bénédict"", and works of hybrid genres such as the ""dramatic symphony"" ""Roméo et Juliette"" and the ""dramatic legend"" ""La damnation de Faust"". The elder son of a provincial doctor, Berlioz was expected to follow his father into medicine, and he attended a Parisian medical college before defying his family"
"he pursued her obsessively until she finally accepted him seven years later. Their marriage was happy at first but eventually foundered. Harriet inspired his first major success, the ""Symphonie fantastique"", in which an idealised depiction of her occurs throughout. Berlioz completed three operas, the first of which, ""Benvenuto Cellini"", was an outright failure. The second, the huge epic ""Les Troyens"" (The Trojans), was so large in scale that it was never staged in its entirety during his lifetime. His last opera, ""Béatrice et Bénédict""based on Shakespeare's comedy ""Much Ado About Nothing""was a success at its premiere but did not enter"
"on a 1985 double-LP Opera Viva issue conducted by Leslie Head. A Beatrice-Benedick duet from the same section (pages 46 to 54 of vocal score) was recorded 'live' at a Europe Day Concert at St John's, Smith Square, on 9 May 2013. Much Ado About Nothing (opera) Much Ado About Nothing is an opera in four acts by Charles Villiers Stanford (his Op. 76a), to a libretto by Julian Sturgis based on Shakespeare's play ""Much Ado About Nothing"". It was the composer's seventh completed opera. It premiered at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 30 May 1901, conducted by"
"Much Ado About Nothing (opera) Much Ado About Nothing is an opera in four acts by Charles Villiers Stanford (his Op. 76a), to a libretto by Julian Sturgis based on Shakespeare's play ""Much Ado About Nothing"". It was the composer's seventh completed opera. It premiered at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 30 May 1901, conducted by Luigi Mancinelli, when it was ""well, but not rapturously received by the public"", and given one further performance four days later. ""The Manchester Guardian"" commented, ""Not even in the ""Falstaff"" of Arrigo Boito and Giuseppe Verdi have the characteristic charm, the ripe"
"replacement there was Hector Berlioz), when he joined ""le Constitutionnel""; he also collaborated in Fétis's ""Revue musicale"" (Paris, 1827), as well as other periodicals or reviews. He is without a doubt, in France, the first music critic to have studied music. He is the author of various books and articles on the theory of music, music history, and the history of the theater. He started a series of three works dedicated to three great lyric theaters of Paris: the Opéra National de Paris, the Comédie-Italienne, and the Opéra-Comique. He was only able to finish and publish the first two before"
"Overtures by Hector Berlioz The French composer Hector Berlioz wrote a number of overtures, many of which have become popular concert items. They include overtures intended to introduce operas as well as independent concert overtures. ""Les francs-juges"", Op. 3. Composed 1826. The overture to Berlioz's first attempt at opera, which was never staged. The overture was first performed in the concert hall of the Paris Conservatoire as part of an all Berlioz concert on 26 May 1828. In his study on the composer, Jacques Barzun describes the work as ""a genuine tour de force for a young dramatic musician working"
"German producer Alfred Greven to Berlin to remind him that the French should only have light and superficial new films - and not cultivate French nationalism. The film is biographical, telling the story of the life and artistic struggles of the French composer Hector Berlioz. Berlioz is shown as a recalcitrant medical student in an anatomy class dreaming of becoming a composer; at a demonstration during a performance at the Paris Opéra conducted by Habeneck; at supper with other young artists (Hugo, Janin, Dumas, Mérimée, Delacroix); and chasing after his future wife Harriet Smithson, after a performance of ""Hamlet"". Also"
"Benvenuto Cellini (opera) Benvenuto Cellini is an opera semiseria in two acts with music by Hector Berlioz and libretto by Léon de Wailly and Henri Auguste Barbier. It was the first of Berlioz's operas, premiered at the Académie Royale de Musique (Salle Le Peletier) on 10 September 1838. The story is inspired by the memoirs of the Florentine sculptor Benvenuto Cellini, although the elements of the plot are largely fictional. The opera is technically very challenging and rarely performed. However, the overture to the opera sometimes features in symphony orchestra programs, as does the concert overture ""Le carnaval romain"" which"
"the latter was accepted and Berlioz wrote an orchestral prologue to introduce this version evoking the tragic fate of Troy. The individual overtures have been recorded many times. This is a partial list of collections exclusively devoted to Berlioz's overtures: Overtures by Hector Berlioz The French composer Hector Berlioz wrote a number of overtures, many of which have become popular concert items. They include overtures intended to introduce operas as well as independent concert overtures. ""Les francs-juges"", Op. 3. Composed 1826. The overture to Berlioz's first attempt at opera, which was never staged. The overture was first performed in the"
"Les francs-juges Les francs-juges (translated as ""The Free Judges"" or ""The Judges of the Secret Court"") is the title of an unfinished opera by the French composer Hector Berlioz written to a libretto by his friend Humbert Ferrand in 1826. Berlioz abandoned the incomplete composition and destroyed most of the music. He retained the overture, which has become a popular concert item, and used some other musical material in later compositions. Ferrand was a law student with a love of poetry who became a lifelong friend of Berlioz. He had already written the words to a cantata for the composer,"
"The composer Hector Berlioz, who helped Bertin with the staging and production of ""La Esmeralda"", was also accused of providing the better music of this work, a charge he vehemently denied. In frustration, Bertin refused to write any more operas. In 1837, Franz Liszt transcribed the orchestral score for solo piano (S.476), and made a piano transcription of the ""Air chanté par Massol"" (S.477). Bertin did however continue to compose in many different genres. Her later compositions include twelve cantatas, six piano ballades, five chamber symphonies, a few string quartets, a piano trio (which includes themes from both her early"
"but wanted to buy the synopsis of his opera, ""Le Vaissau fantôme"", to be put to music by a French composer, Louis-Philippe Dietsch. Wagner sold the work for five hundred francs, and returned home in 1842. The French composer Hector Berlioz had come to Paris from Grenoble in 1821 to study medicine, which he abandoned for music in 1824, attending the Conservatory in 1826, and won the ""Prix de Rome"" for his compositions in 1830. He was working on his most famous work, the ""Symphonie Fantastique"", at the time of the July 1830 revolution. It had its premiere on 4"
"La damnation de Faust La damnation de Faust (English: ""The Damnation of Faust""), Op. 24 is a work for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a ""légende dramatique"" (dramatic legend). It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 6 December 1846. The French composer was inspired by a translation of Goethe's dramatic poem ""Faust"" and produced a musical work that, like the masterpiece on which it is based, defies easy categorisation. Conceived at various times as a free-form oratorio and as an opera (Berlioz"
"Lélio Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie (English: ""Lélio, or the Return to Life"") Op. 14b, is a work incorporating music and spoken text by the French composer Hector Berlioz, intended as a sequel to his ""Symphonie fantastique"". It is written for a narrator, solo voices, chorus, and an orchestra including pianos. It was composed in Italy in 1831, often using previously written music, and first performed at the Conservatoire de Paris on 9 December 1832 as ""Le retour à la vie, mélologue en six parties"". It was revised for a performance in Weimar at the request of Franz"
"it in 1833 (S.471). Les francs-juges Les francs-juges (translated as ""The Free Judges"" or ""The Judges of the Secret Court"") is the title of an unfinished opera by the French composer Hector Berlioz written to a libretto by his friend Humbert Ferrand in 1826. Berlioz abandoned the incomplete composition and destroyed most of the music. He retained the overture, which has become a popular concert item, and used some other musical material in later compositions. Ferrand was a law student with a love of poetry who became a lifelong friend of Berlioz. He had already written the words to a"
"Les Troyens Les Troyens (in English: ""The Trojans"") is a French grand opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself from Virgil's epic poem the "" Aeneid""; the score was composed between 1856 and 1858. ""Les Troyens"" is Berlioz's most ambitious work, the summation of his entire artistic career, but he did not live to see it performed in its entirety. Under the title ""Les Troyens à Carthage"", the last three acts were premièred with many cuts by Léon Carvalho's company, the Théâtre Lyrique, at their theatre (now the Théâtre de la Ville) on"
"Spanish Tragedy"" (1893), which he followed with ""A Book of Song"" (1894). Among his poems, three were set to music by Hubert Parry, an old friend from Eton days: ""Sleep"" (""Beautiful up from the deeps of the solemn sea""), ""Through the ivory gate"" (""I had a dream last night""), and ""Whence"". In 1901, Sturgis wrote the libretto for Charles Villiers Stanford's opera, """"Much Ado About Nothing"""", based on the play by Shakespeare. Sturgis's text was exceptionally faithful to Shakespeare's original. ""The Manchester Guardian"" commented, ""Not even in the ""Falstaff"" of Arrigo Boito and Giuseppe Verdi have the characteristic charm, the"
"Paul Puget's ""Beaucoup de bruit pour rien"" (pub.1898) and ""Much Ado About Nothing"" by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1901) are based upon this play. Erich Wolfgang Korngold composed music for a production in 1917 at the Vienna Burgtheater by Max Reinhardt. In 2006 the American Music Theatre Project produced ""The Boys Are Coming Home,"" a musical adaptation by Berni Stapleton and Leslie Arden that sets ""Much Ado About Nothing"" in America during the Second World War. The title track of the 2009 Mumford & Sons album ""Sigh No More"" uses quotes from this play in the song. The title of"
"a program for this work about a young man and woman who meet, dance, and part at a ball. The quiet music at the opening of ""Afforderung"" leads to some beautiful (and busy) waltz tunes before the work ends with the opening music. In 1841, Hector Berlioz orchestrated ""Afforderung"". This version of the music was used for a short ballet in Weber's opera ""Der Freischütz"" at the Paris Opéra. It was the Berlioz version of the original piano piece that was used for the ballet ""Le Spectre de la rose"". Michel Fokine completed the dance in three or four rehearsals."
"program: In 1841, Hector Berlioz was asked to contribute to a production of Weber's opera ""Der Freischütz"" at the Paris Opera. It was the practice in France at that time that operas contain a ballet in Act II, which were not always by the same composer but often interpolations by other hands. Berlioz was a great admirer of Weber's, having been disappointed more than once in his quest to meet him, and referring repeatedly in his ""Treatise on Instrumentation"" to Weber's works. He agreed to participate, on condition that the opera be performed complete and unadapted (it had been cut"
"begins and ends with the ""idée fixe"" theme, linking ""Lélio"" to the ""Symphonie fantastique"". The six pieces of music are: Lélio Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie (English: ""Lélio, or the Return to Life"") Op. 14b, is a work incorporating music and spoken text by the French composer Hector Berlioz, intended as a sequel to his ""Symphonie fantastique"". It is written for a narrator, solo voices, chorus, and an orchestra including pianos. It was composed in Italy in 1831, often using previously written music, and first performed at the Conservatoire de Paris on 9 December 1832 as ""Le retour"
"doors of the Opéra"". In Paris at this period, the musical success that mattered was in the opera house and not the concert hall. Robert Schumann commented, ""To the French, music by itself means nothing"". Berlioz worked on his opera ""Benvenuto Cellini"" from 1834 until 1837, continually distracted by his increasing activities as a critic and as a promoter of his own symphonic concerts. The Berlioz scholar D. Kern Holoman comments that Berlioz rightly regarded ""Benvenuto Cellini"" as a work of exceptional exuberance and verve, deserving a better reception than it received. Holoman adds that the piece was of ""surpassing"
"lost until a copy was discovered in 1991. During 1825 and 1826 he wrote his first opera, ""Les francs-juges"", which was not performed and survives only in fragments, the best known of which is the overture. In later works he reused parts of the score, such as the ""March of the Guards"", which he incorporated four years later in the ""Symphonie fantastique"" as the ""March to the Scaffold"". In August 1826 Berlioz was admitted as a student to the Conservatoire, studying composition under Le Sueur and counterpoint and fugue with Anton Reicha. In the same year he made the first"
"took revenge on all murderers except for her saviour. The opera itself is set many years later. Nina and Tito (her saviour) recall the terrible events of their childhood and reflect on the incomprehensibility of life. Senza sangue Senza sangue (Without blood) an opera in one act by Péter Eötvös with a libretto by Mari Mezei. It is based on the second part of the novel of the same name by Alessandro Baricco and is intended to be performed jointly with Béla Bartók's one-act ""Bluebeard's Castle"". The concert première was given by the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra on 1 May 2015."
"to compose ""fantaisies pittoresque"" in the style of Berlioz. The fourth program on 6 April was billed as a ""séance Berlioz"" and included the overture from Weber's ""Freischütz"", excerpts from Berlioz's symphonies ""Harold en Italie"" and ""Roméo et Juliette"", and Quasimodo's aria with chorus from Louise Bertin's opera ""La Esmeralda"" sung by the tenor Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol, who had created the role at the Paris Opera in 1836. (At the premiere the aria had made such a good impression that Alexandre Dumas had cried out ""It's by Berlioz! It's by Berlioz!"". Berlioz denied that he had written any of the music,"
"and Susan Graham. By far the most recorded of Berlioz's works is the ""Symphonie fantastique"". The discography of the British Hector Berlioz website lists 96 recordings, from the pioneering version by Gabriel Pierné and the Concerts Colonne in 1928 to those conducted by Beecham, Pierre Monteux, Charles Munch, Herbert von Karajan and Otto Klemperer to more recent versions including those of Boulez, Marc Minkowski, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and François-Xavier Roth. Works Writings Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (; ; 11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic composer. His output includes orchestral works such as the ""Symphonie fantastique"" and"
"the creator of the role of Arturo in Bellini's ""I Puritani"", Giulia Grisi, Fanny Persiani, Henriette Sontag and Giuditta Pasta, who created the role of ""Norma"" in Bellini's opera. French composers including Hector Berlioz struggled in vain against the tide of Italian operas. Berlioz succeeded in getting his opera ""Benvenuto Cellini"" staged at the Royal Academy in 1838, but it closed after just three performances, and was not staged again in France during his lifetime. Berlioz complained in the ""Journal des Debats"" that there were six operas by Donizetti in Paris playing in one year. ""Monsieur Donizetti has the air"
"and G. W. Anson. The Brough and Boucicault Comedy Company inaugurated their lesseeship and management of Her Majesty's Opera House, Melbourne, on 9 October September, 1886, by the first production in Australia of ""Turned Up"" by Mark Melford. Though modern comedy was usually played, there was one excursion into Shakespeare, a notable performance of ""Much Ado About Nothing"" with Titheradge as Benedick, and Mrs Brough as Beatrice. Boucicault had invaluable experience both as a producer and as an actor, and when he returned to London in 1896 he was capable of taking any part that his lack of height, 5"
"of 19th-century symphonies"". The work has always been among Berlioz's most popular. ""Harold in Italy"", despite its subtitle ""Symphony in four parts with viola principal"", is described by the musicologist Mark Evan Bonds as a work traditionally seen as lacking any direct historical antecedent, ""a hybrid of symphony and concerto that owes little or nothing to the earlier, lighter genre of the symphonie concertante"". In the 20th century critical opinion varied about the work, even among those well-disposed to Berlioz. Felix Weingartner, an early 20th century champion of the composer, wrote in 1904 that it did not reach the level"
"""La Révolution grecque"" in 1825. Now Ferrand gratified Berlioz's eagerness to write his first opera by providing him with a three-act libretto, ""Les francs-juges"". The work is set in Mediaeval Germany and the title literally means ""The Free Judges"", referring to the secret ""Vehmic"" trials held in the region during the late Middle Ages. The plot, with its stormy passions and theme of rescue from oppression, offered Berlioz the opportunity to compose a work in the style of the French Revolutionary operas of Méhul and Cherubini. Berlioz intended ""Les francs-juges"" for performance at the Odéon theatre and the management accepted"
"a lifelong agnostic, but he was not hostile to the Roman Catholic church, and Macdonald calls the ""serenely contemplative"" end of the work ""the nearest Berlioz ever came to a devoutly Christian mode of expression"". Berlioz wrote songs throughout his career, but not prolifically. His best-known work in the genre is the song cycle ""Les nuits d'été"", a group of six songs, originally for voice and piano but now usually heard in its later orchestrated form. He suppressed some of his early songs, and his last publication, in 1865, was the ""33 Mélodies"", collecting into one volume all his songs"
"spent five years trying to have it staged. In June 1862 Berlioz's wife died suddenly, aged 48. She was survived by her mother, to whom Berlioz was devoted, and who looked after him for the rest of his life. ""Les Troyens"" – a five-act, five-hour opera – was on too large a scale to be acceptable to the management of the Opéra, and Berlioz's efforts to have it staged there failed. The only way he could find of seeing the work produced was to divide it into two parts: ""The Fall of Troy"" and ""The Trojans at Carthage"". The latter,"
"Les nuits d'été Les nuits d'été (""Summer Nights""), Op. 7, is a song cycle by the French composer Hector Berlioz. It is a setting of six poems by Théophile Gautier. The cycle, completed in 1841, was originally for soloist and piano accompaniment. Berlioz orchestrated one of the songs in 1843, and did the same for the other five in 1856. The cycle was neglected for many years, but during the 20th century it became, and has remained, one of the composer's most popular works. The full orchestral version is more frequently performed in concert and on record than the piano"