Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Berlioz on Berlioz

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Hector Berlioz. Today, Berlioz as revealed through his engaging, passionate and entertaining Memoirs.

Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Hector Berlioz. Today, Berlioz as revealed through his engaging, passionate and entertaining Memoirs.

Berlioz is perhaps unique among composers in having had a literary gift almost the equal of his musical one. He earned his bread-and-butter living as a writer, turning out witty and often acerbic music criticism for the influential Journal des d茅bats and Gazette musicale among others. His Grand Trait茅 d鈥橧nstrumentation et d鈥橭rchestration Modernes 鈥 a technical study of musical instruments and their role within the orchestra 鈥 was a go-to work for generations of later composers. A prolific letter-writer, his recently published Correspondance g茅n茅rale runs to seven fat volumes. He wrote his own first-rate librettos for the operas Les Troyens and B茅atrice et B茅n茅dict, based on Virgil and Shakespeare respectively. And in his M茅moires, begun in March 1848 in lodgings in London鈥檚 Harley Street, he produced one of the great autobiographies 鈥 a unique insight into the life and times of one of the most original musical minds of the 19th century, as well as a fascinating account of the trials, tribulations, triumphs and disasters, both professional and personal, that shaped his rollercoaster career. Hovering over the book like a guiding spirit is the figure of Estelle Duboeuf, the childhood crush Berlioz sought out again towards the end of his life. By then a widow with six children, how taken aback must she have been to be told by the now-famous composer she had known as a lad of twelve that she had unwittingly been the inspiration behind all the love scenes in his music!

Les Nuits d鈥櫭﹖茅, Op 7 (Villanelle)
Janet Baker, mezzo soprano
New Philharmonia Orchestra
John Barbirolli, conductor

Overture Les Francs-Juges, Op 3
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Georg Solti, conductor

Grande Messe des Morts, Op 5 (Dies irae)
Chetham's School of Music Symphonic Brass Ensemble
Gabrieli Consort
Ensemble Wroc艂aw
Wroc艂aw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra
Paul McCreesh, conductor

La Damnation de Faust, Op 24 (Part 1, Scene 3: March hongroise)
London Symphony Orchestra
Colin Davis, conductor

B茅atrice et B茅n茅dict (Act 1, 鈥淰ous soupirez, madame?鈥)
Catherine Robbin, mezzo soprano (Ursule)
Syvlia McNair, soprano (H茅ro)
Orchestre de L鈥橭p茅ra de Lyon
John Nelson, conductor

Za茂de, Op 19 No 1
Brigitte Fournier, soprano
Orchestre de L'Op茅ra de Lyon
Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Produced by Chris Barstow for 大象传媒 Wales

59 minutes

Last on

Mon 11 Mar 2019 12:00

Music Played

  • Hector Berlioz

    Villanelle (Les Nuits d'茅t茅, Op 7)

    Singer: Janet Baker. Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: John Barbirolli.
    • EMI 9 03771 2.
    • EMI.
    • 15.
  • Hector Berlioz

    Les Francs-Juges: Overture

    Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Georg Solti.
    • DECCA 483 3094.
    • DECCA.
    • 6.
  • Hector Berlioz

    Grande Messe des Morts, Op 5: Dies irae

    Ensemble: Chetham'S Symphonic Brass Ensemble. Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort. Ensemble: Ensemble Wroclaw. Choir: Ch贸r NFM. Orchestra: Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra. Director: Paul McCreesh.
    • Signum: SIGCD280.
    • Signum.
    • 2.
  • Hector Berlioz

    La Damnation de Faust: Part I, Scene 3 - Hungarian March

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Colin Davis.
    • LSO LIVE LSO 0827.
    • LSO LIVE.
    • 3.
  • Hector Berlioz

    B茅atrice et B茅n茅dict: Act I, 'Vous soupirez, madame'

    Singer: Catherine Robbin. Singer: Sylvia McNair. Orchestra: Lyon Opera Orchestra. Conductor: John Nelson.
    • WARNER 2564674974.
    • WARNER.
    • 18.
  • Hector Berlioz

    Za茂de, Op 19 No 1

    Singer: Brigitte Fournier. Orchestra: Lyon Opera Orchestra. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
    • ERATO 2564694223.
    • ERATO.
    • 4.

Broadcast

  • Mon 11 Mar 2019 12:00

Vaughan Williams Today

Vaughan Williams Today

Programmes, concerts and features celebrating Vaughan Williams's 150th anniversary.

Beethoven Unleashed 鈥 the box set

Beethoven Unleashed 鈥 the box set

The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems

Composers A to Z

Composers A to Z

Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod鈥檚 best stories from the last 20 years

Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem

What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?

A man out of time 鈥 why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...

The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.

Composer Help Page

Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.