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Turning his back on opera, Berlioz decides to bring Shakespeare into the concert hall. With Donald Macleod.

Berlioz burst onto the musical stage of 19th-century Paris, determined to break the mould of France’s elegant and refined classical style. He wanted to create music that could be bombastic, barbaric and grotesque, as well as sentimental, scintillating and sorrowful. In this, he was inspired by writers as much as fellow musicians. He was captivated by stories and crowded his imagination with the tales of Virgil, Scott, Goethe and, most of all, William Shakespeare. This week, Donald Macleod traces the tangled literary connections in Berlioz’s life and music, including the profound spell cast by Shakespeare over the composer’s art and personality.

Today, Berlioz reconnects with Shakespearean actor, Harriet Smithson, and is more determined than ever to make her his wife. But can the realities of married life ever hope to live up to his romantic imagination?

Lélio, ou Le Retour a la vie: II. Choeur d'Ombres
John Alldis Choir
London Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Sir Colin Davis

La Mort d’Ophélie
Sabine Devieilhe, soprano
Alexandre Tharaud, piano

Roméo et Juliette: Part 2, II. Scene d'amour
´óÏó´«Ã½ Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Sir Andrew Davis

Tristia: III. Marche funèbre pour la dernière scène d'Hamlet
Choeur Les Éléments
Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
conducted by Michel Plasson

Le Roi Lear
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson