大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Hector Berlioz. Today, the opera whose 鈥渧erve, impetus and brilliance鈥� Berlioz feared he would never again equal.

Benvenuto Cellini is loosely based on the autobiography of the eponymous Italian sculptor. The first of Berlioz鈥檚 three completed operas, it held a special place in his affections. 鈥淭his dear score of Benvenuto鈥�, he called it; 鈥渋t is more lively, fresh, and novel (that is one of its great faults) than any of my other works.鈥� Yet it鈥檚 had a chequered history. Its opening run at the Paris Op茅ra was little short of disastrous 鈥� unappreciated by the public and savaged by the critics. Then there was a revival in Weimar, with none other than Franz Liszt at the helm; it was well-received, but only in a version with major cuts that made a nonsense of the opera鈥檚 taut construction. After that, the only other staging during the composer鈥檚 lifetime was at London鈥檚 Covent Garden. According to Berlioz, the auguries looked promising 鈥� 鈥渁 superb orchestra, an excellent chorus, and an 鈥榓dequate鈥� conductor 鈥� I am conducting myself鈥� 鈥� but in the event, the production was pulled after a single night, sabotaged by a hostile cabal. Benvenuto had to wait more than a century for its next Covent Garden outing, and even today, it鈥檚 a rare visitor to the operatic stage. As Berlioz said of it, it 鈥渄eserved a better fate鈥�.

Le carnaval romain, Op 9
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Charles Munch, conductor

Benvenuto Cellini, Op 23 (Act 1, Tableau 1, Scene 3, extract)
Laura Claycomb, soprano (Teresa)
Gregory Kunde, tenor (Cellini)
Peter Coleman-Wright, baritone (Fieramosca)
London Symphony Orchestra
Colin Davis, conductor

Benvenuto Cellini, Op 23 (Act 2, Tableau 2, Scene 13, Conclusion)
Darren Jeffery, bass (Balducci)
Laura Claycomb, soprano (Teresa)
Peter Coleman-Wright, baritone (Fieramosca)
Gregory Kunde, tenor (Cellini)
Jacques Imbrailo, baritone (Pompeo)
Isabelle Cals, soprano (Ascanio)
Andrew Kennedy, tenor (Francesco)
Andrew Foster-Williams, bass (Bernardino)
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Colin Davis, conductor

Benvenuto Cellini, Op 23 (Act 2, Tableau 2, Scenes 1鈥�4)
Laura Claycomb, soprano (Teresa)
Isabelle Cals, soprano (Ascanio)
Gregory Kunde, tenor (Cellini)
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Colin Davis, conductor

Benvenuto Cellini, Op 23 (Act 2, Tableau 4, Scene 19)
Peter Coleman-Wright, baritone (Fieramosca)
Gregory Kunde, tenor (Cellini)
Darren Jeffery, bass (Balducci)
Laura Claycomb, soprano (Teresa)
Isabelle Cals, soprano (Ascanio)
John Relyea, bass (Pope Clement VII)
Andrew Kennedy, tenor (Francesco)
Andrew Foster-Williams, bass (Bernardino)
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Colin Davis, conductor

Produced by Chris Barstow for 大象传媒 Wales