Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique/Corsaire

On this CD:

1. Symphonie fantastique for orchestra ("Episode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties"), H.48 (Op. 14)
Composed by Hector Berlioz

Conducted by Rafael Kubelik

2. Le Corsaire, ouverture (Le Corsaire Overture), for orchestra, H. 101 (Op. 21)
Composed by Hector Berlioz

Conducted by Rafael Kubelik

Tracks:

Symphony Fantastique, Op. 14: 1. Rries, Passions (Largo - Allegro agitato ed appassinonato assai)
Symphony Fantastique, Op. 14: 2. Un bal (Valse: Allegro non troppo)
Symphony Fantastique, Op. 14: 3. Sc aux champs (Adagio)
Symphony Fantastique, Op. 14: 4. Marche au supplice (Allegretto non troppo)
Symphony Fantastique, Op. 14: 5. Songe d'une nuit du Sabbat (Larghetto - Allegro- Ronde du Sabbat: Poco menu mosso)
Tristia, Op 18 (excerpts): 3. Marche fune pour la derni sc d'Hamlet (Allegretto moderato)
La Damnation De Faust, Op. 24 (excerpts): Menuet des follets
La Damnation De Faust, Op. 24 (excerpts): Marche hongroise

Tracks:

Lo ou Le retour a vie, Op. 14b: 1. Le peur (Goethe, Duboys)
Lo ou Le retour a vie, Op. 14b: 2. Choeur d'ombres (Berlioz)
Lo ou Le retour a vie, Op. 14b: 3. Chanson de brigands (Berlioz)
Lo ou Le retour a vie, Op. 14b: 4. Chant de bonheur (Berlioz)
Lo ou Le retour a vie, Op. 14b: 5. La harpe ienne - Souvenirs
Lo ou Le retour a vie, Op. 14b: 6. Fantasie sur la Temp de Shakespeare (Berlioz)
Grande Symphonie fune et triomphale, Op. 15: 1. Marche fune (Moderato un poco lento)
Grande Symphonie fune et triomphale, Op. 15: 2. Oraison fune (Adagio non tanto - Andantino un poco lento e sostenuto)
Grande Symphonie fune et triomphale, Op. 15: 3. Apothe (Allegro non troppo e pomposo)

Tracks:

Harold en Italie, Op.16: 1a. Harold aux montagnes (Adagio)
Harold en Italie, Op.16: 1b. Harold aux montagnes (Allegro)
Harold en Italie, Op.16: 2. Marche des prins (Allegretto)
Harold en Italie, Op.16: 3. Snade (Allegro assai - Allegretto)
Harold en Italie, Op.16: 4. Orgie de brigands (Allegro frenetico - Adagio - Allegro, Tempo I)
Les Troyens arthage: Prelude From: Les Troyens arthage: Part II, Act III
Les Troyens (Act IV): No. 29: Chasse royale et orage - Pantomime
Les Troyens (Act IV): No. 32: Marche pour l'entrde la reine; No. 33: Ballets
Les Troyens (Act IV): -A: Pas des Alm
Les Troyens (Act IV): -B: Danse des esclaves
Les Troyens (Act IV): - C: Pas d'esclaves nubiennes
Rrie et Caprice, Op.8

Tracks:

Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part I, Introduction
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part I, Prologue: 'D'anciennes haines endormies'
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part I, Strophe 1: 'Premiers transports que nul n' oublie'
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part I, Strophe 2: 'Heureux enfants aux coers de flamme'
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part I, Rtatif et Scherzetto: 'Bientot de Romeo' - 'Mab! la messagere' - Bientot la mort est souveraine'
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part II, Romseul - Tristesse - Concert eet bal
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part II, Grande f chez les Capulets
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part III, 'Ohe! Capulets! Bonsoir, bonsoir!'
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part III, Sc d'amour

Tracks:

Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part IV, Scherzo: La reine Mab ou la fdes songes
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part IV, Convoi fune de Juliette: 'Jetez des fleurs pour la vierge expiree!'
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part IV, Romau tombeau des Capulets
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part IV, Finale. Choeurs et Rtatif du P Laurence: 'Quo! Romeo de retour!'
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part IV, Finale. Air du P Laurence: 'Pauvres enfants que je pleure' - 'Mais notre sang rougit leur glaive'
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part IV, Finale. Serment de rnciliation: 'Jurez donc'

Tracks:

Beatrice et Benedict
Benvenuto Cellini
Overtures: Le roi Lear, Op. 4
Les Francs - juges, Op. 3
Waverley, Op. 1
Le corsaire, Op. 21
Carnaval romain, Op. 9

Amazon.com

Berlioz was the first Romantic master of the orchestra. His music hasn't been surpassed in terms of sheer brilliance and accuracy of effect. This set includes all of the overtures, the Symphonie fantastique, Harold in Italy, the Royal Hunt and Storm from Les Troyens, orchestral music from The Damnation of Faust and Romeo and Juliet, and the completely insane Grande Symphonie funebre et triumphale. Davis achieved his reputation as a conductor as a Berlioz specialist, and he proves an expert advocate on behalf of this stimulating, bizarre, and totally original genius. The recording quality, so critical in such colorful music, is also very good. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

I am in a Box with Berlioz Box Sets.......2004-02-22

First I ordered Hector Berlioz Complete Orchestral Works (Box Set) in a 6-CD set by Sir Colin Davis because orchestral is what I like best. That was in 2002. Now I have ordered The Berlioz Edition (Box Set)in a 24-CD Box Set by Sir Colin Davis because I like what I have heard of Berlioz by Davis. I will put this up for sale, and if it doesn't go I will consider putting The Berlioz Edition up for sale after I have heard it. As I said I am in a Box with Berlioz Box Sets and can't afford both.

A superb set, well worth the price!.......2002-08-16

For those of us who grew up in the 1950s and '60s, the music of Berlioz means Munch and Toscanini: Munch for his incendiary performances of "Symphonie Fantastique," "Romeo et Juliette," "Damnation of Faust," the Requiem and the overtures (among others), Toscanini primarily for his gorgeous reading of "Harold in Italy" but also for his versions of the Roman Carnival Overture and (for those who could find it) the "Romeo" with Gladys Swarthout. These readings had one thing going for them, which was a rhythmic impetus that made even the slow movements exciting. Unfortunately, for those of us who read scores, when we checked these versions against the music we found that Toscanini and Munch had fiddled a bit with tempi and bowing accents in an attempt to make the music more exciting. Is this so bad? Not necessarily, because these conductors had this music in their blood, they were presenting Berlioz as they had processed him over a lifetime of love, and so their fast tempi had little in common with the rattly, jangly readings often turned out by John Eliot Gardiner.

Sir Colin Davis was, and of this reading remains, the greatest Berlioz interpreter of the stereo/digital era. This is no mean feat when one realizes that he now has several competitors in the field, among them James Levine and Charles Dutoit, but in my view only the wonderful John Nelson (whose recordings of the Te Deum and "Nuits d'Ete" with Susan Graham are so wonderful) really comes close. And what makes Davis so great is that, like those legendary conductors of old, he really gets under the skin of Berlioz and makes him exciting while maintaining score tempi. Listen, for instance, to his "Symphonie Fantastique," still the benchmark modern recording after nearly 30 years. Davis also excels in his readings of the Overtures, music from "Les Troyens," and the Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale which grabs the listener and pulls him/her into its vortex of sound.

In the other two symphonies, "Harold in Italy" and "Romeo et Juliette," I sense a lapse of sorts: the slow music is conducted not necessarily too slowly, but with a certain Romantic mushiness bordering on easy listening. This, for me, robs the "Romeo alone" and "Scene d'amour" of its passion, though of course it is wonderful to hear the score in modern stereo instead of Munch's cramped mono, and for me Toscanini's second movement of "Harold," with its peculiar yet engaging walking gait, shall never be surpassed--and, unlike Munch, Toscanini somewhat transcended his mono sound because of the wonderful clarity and transparency of his orchestra. Nevertheless, if I were forced to I would live with this Davis set over my Munch and Toscanini recordings because of their overall warmth and excellent sound.

Other highlights include excerpts from "Lelio" sung superbly by pre-leukemia Jose Carreras (listen to him ascend fearlessly to those high notes--he hasn't done that in nearly a quarter-century!), dramatically astute singing by Patricia Kerns and John Shirley-Quirk in "Romeo," and marvelous interpretations of the Overtures (oh, and you can forget "Rob Roy"...Berlioz decided after one performance that he would never publish it or even bother revising it, hence it is not here). I do question the omission of the Requiem and Te Deum (after all, they ARE "orchestral works"), but with so many riches at such a low price, who cares? Liner notes are sparse, and this is a slimline box which means paper sleeves and no jewel boxes, but so what? For this much Berlioz, so beautifully sung and conducted, the composer himself would gladly have plunked down ...

all the overtures *NOT*.......2001-05-04

This isn't a "complete" recording of Berlioz' orchestral music - what about the 'Rob Roy' overture? Granted it recycles some of Harold in Italy, but still...

A wonderful collection of Berlioz.......2000-08-15

This incredible six CD set features all of Hector Berlioz's purely orchestral music conducted by the great Sir Colin Davis, widely regarded as one of the greatest living Berlioz interpreters. In addition to favorites such as Symphonie fantastique, Harold en Italie and Romeo et Juliette, the set also includes the lesser known Lelio and several other works. The works were recorded between 1965 and 1980, and the sound is wonderful and rich. His interpretations are also lively and full of energy, especially in the overtures.

The Romeo et Juliette included in this set is my favorite of all the recordings of it that I've heard, although I haven't yet heard Sir Colin's more recent recording with the Vienna Philharmonic. The recording of Lelio is also well done. Jose Carreras and Thomas Allen are the featured singers in Lelio's song movements, and the fantasy on Shakespeare's Tempest at the end of the work is fascinating indeed. If you've only heard Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and want to hear more of his works, or are looking for a nice collection of classic Berlioz recordings, then take a good look at this set.

Average customer rating:

The most exciting Fantastique ever recorded?

Good Stuff!!

SUPERB!!!!

Symphonie Fantastique

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
Detroit Symphony Orchestra | ( D ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000AC5B02
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Tracks:

Reverie And Passions Largo. Allegro Agitato E Appassionato Assai
A Ball Valse. Allegro Non Troppo
Scene In The Country Adagio
March To The Scaffold
Dream Of A Witches' Sabbath. Allegro
Hungarian March
Trojan March
The Corsair, Overture
The Roman Carnival, Overture

Customer Reviews:

The most exciting Fantastique ever recorded?.......2006-04-02

Mercury continues to welcome back its old friends in three channel SACD including this version of Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique by Paul Paray during his time with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Recorded in then quarter-century old Detroit Cass Tech High School in 1959, I've always thought of this recording as a parable to that city's greatest decade, when it produced half the cars in the world and had a championship pro football team (see my review of the stereo version for more on this).

The three channel SACD hybrid (sorry, no surround sound on this issue) brings out a lot of details that were swallowed up in the old stereo version. It does a lot for the whole performance, especially the interplay between woodwinds and timpani in the closing section of "Scene In the Country."

Like Toscanini, Paray pushed the throttle hard when conducting and his style here led to one of the most exciting versions of the Fantastic Symphony ever recorded. The excitement in the two closing movements has hardly been equaled in any recording, new or classic.

The four encores on this recording -- Hungarian and Trojan marches and the Corsair and Roman Carnival overtures -- are performed in kindred spirit. The excitement Paray and the Detroiters build in the two overtures is breathtaking. The Detroiters stay with their high octane conductor throughout this Berlioz extravaganza.

I read a critic that complained about a certain high pitched noise in the symphony. Can't say I heard that. Having converted to 5.1 surround sound this year, I was very pleased to see this wonderful performance returned to currency. It's a hybrid you can hear it in traditional stereo too.

But upgrade your system to hear everything that's being offered and you won't look back on stereo. Either way, you're going to want to hear this recording. It's one of the most exciting performances available and now it's even better than ever.

Good Stuff!!.......2005-10-30

This is an excellent Symphonie Fantastique. Unusual, unexpected, and refreshing. This may not be the most overwhelming recording. Yet, it is completely fresh and enjoyable.
Brasses play very well. Woodwinds are great. As for Paray, I really enjoy the unnusual touches of this performance. Compared to many, this is a real bargain.

SUPERB!!!!.......2005-10-11

I happen to own at least 15 recordings of Berlioz' "Symphonie Fantastique" and most are very good to excellent (the Norrington, Gardiner, and Davis versions are especially fine). However, the Paul Paray/Detroit Symphony version on Mercury Living Presence, newly released as a SACD, is simply unsurpassed. The excitement that this ensemble produces is beyond what mere words can describe. The music ignites sparks. Every movement is a joy, played with precision and passion. One truly hears and feels the unbalanced nature of the artist that Berlioz is portraying in his five movement masterpiece, which was way ahead of it's time when written. Even today it sounds modern and fresh. I especially like the second movement portraying a Ball, fourth movement portraying a March to the Scaffold, and the final movement portraying a Witches Sabbath (you'll never hear the E-Flat clarinet entry solo played any better than here.) But then again, the entire symphony is wonderful. With the Hungarian March, Trojan March, Corsair and Roman Carnival overtures included on the SACD, this is a superb value. If I could only own one recording of the Symphonie Fantastique, this would be the one.

Average customer rating:

a voice teacher and early music fan
A generally good Berlioz collection
Power and passion from Berlioz

Berlioz: Great Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000419B
Release Date: 1994-05-10

Tracks:

Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14: 1. Reveries - Passions (Largo - Allegro agitato e appassionato assai)
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14: 2. Un bal (Valse. Allegro non troppo)
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14: 3. Scene aux champs (Adagio)
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14: 4. Marche au supplice (Allegreto non troppo)
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14: 5. Songe d'une nuit de sabbat (Larghetto - Allegro - Ronde du sabbat: Poco meno mosso)
Le carnaval romain, Op. 9: Overture
Le corsaire, Op. 21: Overture

Tracks:

Harold en Italie, Op. 16: 1. Harold aux montagnes (Adagio - Allegro)
Harold en Italie, Op. 16: 1. Harold aux montagnes (Adagio - Allegro)
Harold en Italie, Op. 16: 2. Marche des pelerins chantant la priere du soir (Allegretto)
Harold en Italie, Op. 16: 3. Serenade d'un montagnard des Abruzzes a sa maitresse (Allegro assai - Allegretto)
Harold en Italie, Op. 16: 4. Orgie des brigands, finale (Allegro frenetico - Adagio - Allegro. Tempo I)
Symphonie funebre et triomphale, Op. 15: 1. Marche funebre (Moderato un poco lento)
Symphonie funebre et triomphale, Op. 15: 2. Oraison funebre (Adagio non tanto - Andantino un poco lento e sostenuto)
Symphonie funebre et triomphale, Op. 15: 3. Apotheose (Allegro non troppo e pomposo)

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-03-17

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)belonged to no school, and resists categorization more fiercely, perhaps, than any other composer. The originality and vitalilty of his ideas demanded novel means of expression which affected the fundamental elements of musical language. The language he forged depended to an unusual extent upon the subject-matter of his works, all of which are related to a dramatic or poetic theme. This theme determines the manner of each work, so that there is no clearly defined development from an early period, through the middle of his career, to a later style; his works never repeat the inventions, harmonic and melodic or formal, of their predecessors.
The 'Symphonie fantastique' blazed new paths, filling the ear with novel combinations to a degree hardly experienced again. The symphony is nowhere operatic, but it is dramatic, and the high points of the drama are embodied in expressive instrumental music; the program, integral to the conception, acts, Berlioz said,like the spoken dialogue in an opera,in that it provides the motivation and explains and justifies the mood of the successive movements.
His second symphony, 'Harold en Italie', was begun at the request of Paganini, who wanted a piece for viola, but then rejected the drafts of Berlioz, who promptly converted the work into a symphony with viola solo. Searching for a subject, he considered a plan for a work on the death of Mary Queen of Scots. He then adopted a title referring to Byron's wandering hero (Childe Harold) and created a loose sequence of scenes in the figure of the lonely wanderer(represented by the viola) is set in contexts reminiscent of his own experience in Italy. This symphony is a picturesque work,whereas the 'Fantastique' is dramatic.
Berlioz was given a commission in 1840, by the newly formed French government for his 'Symphonie funebre et triomphale'. He wrote it for wind, with optional strings and chorus. The style of the work recalls the open-air ceremonials of the previous Revolution, when music was used at open-air gatherings of national prayer and praise.
The selections on these 2 discs cover the years from 1963 to 1975,although this compilation dates 1994. The performance of these selections are all basically outstanding because the variance of orchestral colour demanded by the very expressive music of Berlioz is present at all times, although some of the tempos run a bit on the slow side especially in the 'Symphonie fantastique'. However, I continued to be impressed by the instrumental expertise, especially in the solo 'spots', of which there were many. The 3rd movement of the 'Symphonie funebre' featuring the John Aldis Choir was exciting to hear, and I wish in the liner notes that they had included the words because they are not really audible on the recording. The violist in 'Harold in Italie' Nobuko Imai was skilled and in tune most of the time. All in all, for lovers of Berlioz, this is a good collection.

A generally good Berlioz collection.......2005-08-19

This recording is good generally, but the Symphonie fantastique really disappoints. The recording would be great if the LSO sound more 'fantastique'(you will konw what I'm talking about if you listen to the Concertgebouw/Davis recording by DECCA). Despite the disappointing Symphonie fantastique, I still like Colin Davis' "Harold in Italy" and the overtures, his poetry-like expressions and passion is perfectly suitable for Berlioz.

However, taking its price into consideration, I would not hesitate to reccomend this recording to those who want to try Berlioz.

Power and passion from Berlioz.......1998-11-12

This 2-disc set gives a wonderful selection of the orchestral works of Hector Berlioz. Of the five pieces included, I most enjoyed the "Symphonie Fantastique" and the "Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale." The power of Berlioz is beautifully expressed by the London Symphony Orchestra; one can feel the musical power, not just hear it. A wonderful collection of truly passionate music.

Average customer rating:

Berlioz Edition (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000093OSH
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Amazon.com

Sir Colin Davis has long been considered the world's finest Berlioz conductor, and over the years, Philips has released all of the composer's major works with Davis at the helm. Now, they're all here, in a 24-CD box, and it is an astonishing achievement. This treasure trove consists of the definitive, available readings of Les Troyens, Béatrice et Bénédict, and Benvenuto Cellini; a wonderfully energetic, passionate Roméo et Juliette; a Te Deum which is huge yet clear and not over-the-top for its own sake; Les Nuits d'été with different singers (of varying ranges in different songs), as Berlioz wanted them performed; the young Dame Janet Baker superb in Herminie and La Mort de Cléopatre; a relaxed, sweet Enfance du Christ; a Requiem which could knock you over; a Damnation de Faust which is both lyrical and exciting; a performance of Lélio which almost makes sense of that strange work; a Symphonie Fantastiquewith atmosphere and thrills; along with 7 overtures, 5 songs, and more. In addition to the moderate price, the packaging is such that the 24 CDs takes up less space than just the earlier releases of Cellini and Troyens together. This is one-stop shopping at its best. --Robert Levine

Average customer rating:

Stylish and very French-sounding, but the recording is thin
Penguin Guide 3 star, Key, Rosette recording
Fantastic Indeed!
Unimpressed
EPOUVANTABLE!

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00008QSC8
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

I: Reveries - Passions-Dreams (Largo - Allegro Agitato E Appassionato Assai)
II: A Ball (Allegro Non Troppo)
III: Scene In The Country (Adagio)
IV: March To The Scaffold (Allegretto Non Troppo)
V: Dream Of A Witches' Sabbath (Larghetto - Allegro)
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Customer Reviews:

Stylish and very French-sounding, but the recording is thin.......2006-07-13

Sometimes classics have to be seen with clear eyes. The French radio orchestra that Beecham conducted in 1959 has a delightful Gallic sound, with its saxophone-like horns and spikey woodwinds, but the ensemble can be slapdash, and EMI's recording, which was always rather thin and shrill, can only be improved so far and no farther. Dozens of recordings have emerged in the last four decades that surpass this one for execution and sonics. What, then, about Beecham's part?

Beecham adored Berlioz and brought to his music a special exuberance and freshness that are hard to dduplicate. On stylistic grounds alone, this CD deserves five stars--there's an impulsiveness about it at times that's unique. Beecham came from an age which admired conducting that freely expressed itself, even wehn drastic liberties were taken with the score. For example, Beecham starts "Un Bal" at a steady loud dynamic, leaving little room for building to a climax. In general he's not interested in nuanced shading; his style is a frontal assault, but with many smiles along the way. He's also more interested in the melodic line than in inner detail.

The March to the Scaffold is a high point--Beecham makes the music genuinely grim, with sudden, scary interjections from the brass. Here he's actually aided by the over-bright recording, which makes sforzando attacks more startling. In the same way, the somewhat raw, coarse playing of the orchestra helps make the Witches' Sabbath more grotesque. We're back to Beecham's own Royal Phil. for the Corsaire Over. and Les Troyens excerpts. These aren't better played or recorded than the French-based Fantastique, but they likewise display Beecham's unbounded energy and affection for the music.

Many listeners (even some not under the sway of British critics) have found a special magic in this recording, one of the must-listens in the Berlioz discography.

Penguin Guide 3 star, Key, Rosette recording .......2006-07-07

According to Penguin's 2005/6 guide, this recording of Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique "still enjoys classic status and remains unsurpassed." 3 out of 3 stars, a "key" recording, and Rosette (all the highest accolades Penguin offers to recordings).

Fantastic Indeed!.......2005-09-29

I have been listening to this symphony for more than 50 years and became convinced over this time that all recordings of the work were more or less equal in value. I stand corrected! Despite the recording's age, Beecham's is at once the most powerful and the one that best brings out the details that distinguish a great recording from a good one.

Unimpressed.......2005-06-17

I'm shocked with awe. When I baught this c.d. I couldn't wait to here Symphonie Fantastique with the French national Orchestra and with Sir Thomas Beecham. But when I started listening to it I heard all sorts of mistakes from the strings and especially in the large clarinet solo of the Scene in the Country. It started out peaceful and content, but then I started hereing squeeks and vacillating vibrating on the high notes (if you want to listen to this solo look for Larry Combs on his orchestral excerpts to here it played well.
Of course my favorite movement had to be The Ball, for it sounded uniquely French with the small part of the orchestra it is scored for. The last two movements are very week in the brass, considering that they make the movements what they are, especially in the 5th movement. This c.d. had many good points too, that's why I gave it 3 stars. The strings and and most of the woodwinds play beautifully through out, and the English Horn solo is just perfect with extra time on the timpani rolls.
When you look past the problems on this recording, it is excellent.

EPOUVANTABLE!.......2004-02-23

How much remastering this recording actually needed I have no way of knowing, but it surely can't have been a great deal. It was very good on LP, like many of Beecham's recordings. The volume-level was on the low side but that was no problem at all, and arguably the string tutti sound could have done with a little more body although if this was a fault at all it was a fault of the right kind - this is not Wagner. The sound in the separate instrumental departments, not just solos like the harp at the start of the ball or the menacing timpani near the end of the scene aux champs but instrumental departments like the trumpets in the march or even the massed cellos in the scene aux champs, was already admirably clear and lifelike.

We have not looked on Beecham's like since his time. As a personality he was larger than life, and as a music-maker he was in a completely special category. He was always Augustan but never precious or finicking. He could be forceful certainly, but none of his effects were ever forced. His phrasing and sense of timing were subtle and careful but never, or almost never, descended into affectation. At all times beauty was paramount with him -- beauty of orchestral sound, grace in the phrasing, suppleness of line, proportion in the contrasts. Modesty was not among his failings of course but when he said of his relationship with his orchestras `They make the notes and I make the music' I sense he was largely accurate.

Customer Reviews:

A tempting treasury, but only a few performances are great.......2007-02-03

Ten discs of Berlioz is a sumptuous offering, and temptingly cheap at Amazon Marketplace. DG has used this occasion to repackage some outstanding performances. At the top of the list goes James Levine's electrifying Requiem from Berlin, with playing and singing to match the conductor's inspiration. Also exciting--perhaps surprisingly so--is Abbado's Te Deum, which has rawer edges and sharper focus than Colin Davis's on Philips, long the standard version.

Dropping down a notch in quality, we have an elegantly played Romeo et Juliette by the Boston Symphony, superbly recorded, that has few rivals for refined virtuosity. But after a while Seiji Ozawa's approach seems to lack depth and meaning; he's skating over the surface of the musical drama, however brilliantly. Sharp and brilliant also describes Myung-Whun Chung's contribution, a Symponie fantastique, two overtures, and the Royal Hunt and Storm from Les Troyens, all with his well-trained Bastille Opera orchestra. Chung is to the manner born in Berlioz, but so are greater conductors in these works, including Munch and Markevitch.

At about the same quality level I'd place the Mort de Cleopatre, a dullish early vocal scene sung with plushness by Jessye Norman, and Kiri Te Kanawa's Les Nuits d'Ete, which is ravishing in terms of sheer vocalism but otherwise vacant. Daniel Barenboim's slack conducting does the piece no favors, either, which holds true on a much larger scale for his Damnation of Faust. This is a typical Barenboim product, full of lush sounds, excellent singing, big-scale orchestral work, but leading to a meager artistic payoff. Barenboim's Faust isn't remotely competitive with Markevitch, Chung, Solti, Pretre, and others in this work. It's great to hear Domingo in the title role, but the conducting is so routine that I'm not sure the overall experience is worth it.

We get odds and ends of varying quality: the rarely recorded Tristia done superbly by Boulez, an uneven batch of songs that previously appeared in their own double-CD set (a chore to listen to in its entirety, despite the occasional gem), and a pedestrain Harold in Italy conducted by Lorin Maazel in Berlin, a performance that DG surely could have bettered by looking deeper into their vaults.

In all, I can't see investing in such an uneven collection except at super-budget price. If you do a little searching, all the best things here can be gotten separately, and the lesser recordings pale by comparison with classic Berlioz from Colin Davis, Charles Munch, and Igor Markevitch.

Berlioz with immaginative variety.......2003-10-30

This box makes a nice alternative to the Philips boxes under Colin Davis. Not to take anything away from Davis. His Berlioz cycle certainly ranks up there with the elite for recording achievements. But many will not want to invest in all 3 boxes, so Universal has brought us a great compilation of some of Berlioz' best works from a variety of performers with different styles.
The jewel has to be Ozawa's unsurpassed Romeo and Juliet. This 1976 studio recording had its birth at the Tanglewood Festival and features excellent soloists (Julia Hamari, Jose Van Dam, and Jean Dupouy), a very competent choir, and of course the reliable Boston SO. The recording is of outstanding quality. It seems cleaned up a little from what I remember of the CDs from the mid 80s; much more spacious, less muddy sounding. I especially like the chorus in the hushed night scene.
Barenboim's Damnaton is perdictably Furtwangler-like in tempo, and again features top notch singers in Fischer Dieskau, Jules Bastin, & Placido Domingo; Yvonne Minto is probably not in the same class with the others, but she's more than acceptable.
Levine directs a well recorded and balanced classical-sounding Requiem, and Abbado is more than competent in the Te Deum.
Chung's Fantastique is fun and enjoyable, if not first-class.
The rest of the works are very commendable, if not top-of-the-class.
In short, you can't go wrong for the price, and if you love Berlioz' Romeo, you've got to get this box just for the Ozawa gem.

Average customer rating:

A Berlioz bargain to rank with the best
Very eccentric Fantastique, other selections fine
A Best Buy!

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000JQXR
Release Date: 1999-08-10

Tracks:

Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: I: Reveries - Passions
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: II: A Ball
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: III: Scene In The Fields
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: IV: March To The Scaffold
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: V: Dream Of A Witches' Sabbath
Le Corsaire, Op. 21: Le Corsaire, Op. 21: Overture
Beatrice et Benedict: Beatrice et Benedict: Overture
Le Carnaval romain: Le Carnaval romain: Overture

Tracks:

Harold En Italie, Op. 16: I: Harold In The Mountains. Scenes Of Melancholy, Happiness And Joy. Gluck und Freude (Adagio - Allegro man non troppo)
Harold En Italie, Op. 16: II: Procession Of Pilgrams Chanting The Evening Prayer (Allegretto)
Harold En Italie, Op. 16: III: Serenade Of An Abruzzi Highlander To His Mistress (Allegro assai - Allegretto)
Harold En Italie, Op. 16: IV: Brigabds' Orgy. Recollections Of Preceding Scenes (Allegro frenetico)
Benvenuto Cellini, Op.23: Benvenuto Cellini, Op.23: Overture
Les Francs-juges Overture, Op.3: Les Francs-juges Overture, Op.3: Overture

Customer Reviews:

A Berlioz bargain to rank with the best.......2006-11-14

It's the nature of bargain two-fers that they rarely contain first-choice performances, but this one comes very close. Bernstein made three versions of the Symphonie fantastique, this one being the last, the most French (thanks to the Orchestre nationale de france), and the most intense, given his later propensity to milk eveyr phrase for maximum effect. Bernstein's Harold in Italy with the ORTF is likewise more Gallic and more intense than his early version on Sony with the NY Phil., and in almost every way it's better--too bad the violist is a bit colorless. Finally, there's a generous proram of miscellaneous overtures from Andre Previn in his salad days with the London Symphony. His approach is a bit stolid--one misses the volatility of Munch and the elegance of Colin Davis--but each reading is never less than very good.

In all, the reviewer below who is shocked that this set has been overlooked is right. I don't know of a better Berlioz bargain on the market.

Very eccentric Fantastique, other selections fine.......2000-06-27

Leonard Bernstein made many fine recordings, but this is not one of them. The bells in the Witches' Sabbath are really ugly...almost dissonant and way too high in notes. Too bad they didn't use bells that more closely resembled funeral tolls. And the March to the Scaffold, my favorite part of the Symphonie, sounds terrible. The Ball is okay. Overall, the whole thing sounds like Bernstein set out to make this recording sound unique. I have not heard Bernstein's earlier attempt at the Fantastique, but they say that it was much better. Previn and the LSO do a good job with Harold in Italy and the Overtures.

A Best Buy!.......2000-04-02

I can't believe this 2x CD set has been largely ignored in favor for period instrument performances. What is there not to like about these performances? The rendition of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique by Bernstein/ORTF, while not necessarily the definitive Davis/Concertgebouw recording (though I question the true worth of the Davis recording), certainly does not deserve the neglect. The fiery passion that Bernstein coaxes from the French orchestra is not something you experience in every performance of this music. Bernstein takes a slower and more weighty/romantic approach to the Symphonie as opposed to Davis's somewhat lighter and faster interpretation, but who is to say which one is correct? Also, this set includes 6 other Berlioz orchestral works, some of which are performed by Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra. I am not familiar with these other works, so I cannot compare them to other performances. I will say, however, that I enjoyed these performances as well even though I bought the set mainly for the Symphonie fantastique. The Bernstein/ORTF performance is worthy to be issued on its own, but EMI's 2CD-for-the-price-of-1 format makes this set even more desirable. Check these performances out...you will find much to like in them.

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique; Le Carnaval romain; Le Corsaire

Average customer rating:

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique; Le Carnaval romain; Le Corsaire

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0007YH7EQ
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Tracks:

I: Reveries-Passions
Un Bal
Scene Aux Champs
Marche Au Supplice
Songs D'Une Nuit Du Sabbat - Dies Irae- Ronde Du Sabbat-Dies Irae Et Ronde Du Sabbat Ensamble
le Corsaire - Overture, Op.21
Le Carnaval Romain - Overture, Op.9

Average customer rating:

A sequence of gems

Munch Conducts Berlioz

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B0001TSWPU
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Customer Reviews:

A sequence of gems.......2005-07-06

This compendium of all of Charles Munch's Berlioz recordings with the Boston Symphony Orchestra is not to be missed, particularly as RCA's refurbished sonics, with some allowance for a few mono items, are deeply satisfying and the price is scaled to a beggar's purse. Both performances of the Fantastique, a Munch/BSO specialty, are included and both Romeos.
Exceptional singing from the likes of Danco, de los Angeles, Souzay and Valletti, among others, is on offer, and the BSO's first-deskers cover themselves with glory. This set is a valuable memento in particular of first flute Doriot Anthony Dwyer's playing. Perhaps it is useless to catalog some of my favorites here, but I can't resist reminding anyone susceptible to the unique Berlioz combination of elegance and drama of the Harold in Italy with Primrose as soloist, the Requiem (still my preferred version), the stereo Romeo where it strikes me that the composer is not loquacious and bombastic but eloquent, often terse, with not a wasted note, and L'Enfance du Christ.
If you miss this, you will be sorry, even if, like me, you already have some of its contents. A sequence of gems.

-Frank W. Barham

Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9; Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

Average customer rating:

A peak for conductor, composer, symphony
Symphony Fantastique: The Ultimate
Top Seed....Par Excellence....Happy "200th" Birthday Hector!
Best Recording Of The No. 1 Romantic Symphony
Beyond words: just listen.

Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9; Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: 1. Reveries And Passions, Largo. Allegro Agitato e appassionato assai
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: 2. A Ball, Valse. Allegro non troppo
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: 3. Scene In The Country, Adagio
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: 4. March To The Scaffold, Allegretto non troppo
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: 5. Dream Of A Witches' Sabbath, Larghetto. Allegro
Hungarian March
Trojan March
The Corsair, Overture
The Roman Carnival, Overture

Customer Reviews:

A peak for conductor, composer, symphony.......2004-05-11

Today, Detroit is one of America's struggling cities. Its days as the world's manufacturing center now in the distant past, the city is laying off teachers and police in a lingering slow economy.

This scene could not have been more different in the 1950s, when Detroit produced half of all the cars in the world and was home to more than 2 million residents -- more than twice as many as today. Even the perennially poor Detroit Lions won three NFL championships in the 1950s and played in another.

It was at the end of that glorious decade that Paul Paray and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra recorded this once-in-a-lifetime performance of Berlioz's most fantastic symphony in the then-new Detroit Cass Technical High School auditorium.

Everyone on this muscial assembly line got it right: Paray blazed through the pages of Berlioz's score, the engineers brought forth a recording that might still be the best the Detroit Symphony has ever made, and the symphony itself was magnificent, as good or better than anytime since.

How can such a time in history come forth in a city hardly known as a paragon of culture? The answer would be Paray, a passionate Frenchman that build a great orchestra in Detroit and with it made some of Mercury's most wonderful recordings. Others in this sequence included Paray's own Mass, the St. Saens "Organ" Symphony and a lively Mendelssohn "Midsummer Night's Dream" sequence.

Paray brought out more from the Detroiters in his rapid fire romantic way than any resident conductor until Neemi Jarvi, who took the band on Europena tour, made a ton of recordings and again brought the orchestra to international promience.

No recording more encompasses the match made in Heavan quality of Paul Paray and the Detroit Symphony than this Symphonie Fantastique. It is a rendeition most critics still hail as peer to Beecham, Ansermet, Davis and all the others that delivered a wallop in this music.

Symphony Fantastique: The Ultimate.......2004-05-07

This 1959 LP recording was digitally remastered for today's modern listener. It's of the highest calibre and contains no flaw according to my opinion. The praises and good reviews attest to the fact that this recording is the ultimate and best recording of Berlioz' Symphony Fantastique. There are many recordings, of course, that have more fame and star appeal, such as Herbert Von Karajan's version. But Paul Paray, a Canadian conductor most famous for his time as principal conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, is incredible in this recording.
Paul Paray's French soul seems to connect with the French Hector Berlioz and the vision he had when composing this program symphony.

When it premiered, the hopeless romantic Berlioz was obscessively in love with the Shakespearean actress Harriet Smithson (He had seen her performances as Juliet and was very captivated). But his love was unrequited. Smithson thought that Berlioz was overly obscessed with her and his impassioned letters only frightened her. She avoided him for many years. When Symphonie Fantastique premiered, she was in the audience and she was smart enough to realize that the symphony was really about her. She is indeed the inspiration for the idee fixe, the love theme in the symphony. The program symphony is divided into movements with specialized scenes - Reveries and Passions, A Masked Ball, Scene In The Country, March To Scaffold and Witche's Sabbath. In the opening movement, the passion of the hero, Berlioz himself, bursts in romantic strains as the orchestra produces the romantic love theme and introduces the signature theme of his lady love.

The Masked Ball is a waltz, lilting and seductive, and again reprises the love theme. The Scene In The Country starts off idealistically, musically portraying the hero basking in the earthly paradise of the country and thinking of his beloved. But the seeds of doubt begin to haunt him as he considers the idea that his lady love is being unfaithful to him. The music darkens at this point. The following March To The Scaffold depicts our hero as he is lead to the guillotine. He has murdered his true love out of jealousy and is sentenced to death. The march concludes with the chopping of his head- we really feel that guillotine axe fall and then his head rolls and bounces musically. The final movement is the darkest and most intense. The Witches' Sabbath has the hero in the middle of a nightmare. Witches, ghouls and demons have assembled in a ritual ceremony in which they feast on the body of the fallen hero. The Dies Irae of the standard Requiem is very vividly pronounced and provides a monumentally horrifying atmosphere. This theme was used effectively in the movie "Sleeping With The Enemy" about an obscessive and abusive husband stalking his own wife.

Top Seed....Par Excellence....Happy "200th" Birthday Hector!.......2003-08-07

This almost impossible-to-find recording of the Berlioz "Symphonie Fantastique" is in a class all it's own. I own quite a few recordings of this wonderful symphony (and some are quite good) but none of them has the fire and excitement of this classic Mercury Living Presence issue. The recording dates back to 1959 and sounds amazing in it's clarity. Toward the beginning of the 5th movement "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath" you can actually hear the entrance of the idee fixe theme played by the solo E-flat clarinet. In most recordings this solo starts much too quietly, but here the theme is plump and proud in all it's naughtiness! This is one example of many such orchestral details that are astounding. You can tell that Paul Paray and the Detroit Symphony are just relishing playing this symphony. The emotion and drive from the beginning until the end never lets up. To make this "collector's disc" (if you are lucky enough to find a copy) even more appealing is the generous addition of The Hungarian March, Trojan March, Corsair Overture, and Roman Carnival Overture. All played with the same brillance as in the symphony.
I have a feeling that this CD may be out of print, which makes no sense given it's excellence coupled with the fact that this year marks the 200th anniversary of Berlioz' birth. Perhaps Mercury/Philips will re-release it. Hope so. I had to go to my library to find it. Good luck, it's worth the effort.
My Strongest Recommendation.

UPDATE: This SUPERB recording is back in circulation as a SACD. I just received my copy today, at a great price. It never sounded better!!! GO FOR IT!!!!!

Best Recording Of The No. 1 Romantic Symphony.......2002-12-19

The reviewer from Texas is a learned music student, and is genuinely passionate about romantic music. Without a doubt, Paul Paray's 60's recording (originally on LP and in this cd there is original liner notes), is the greatest recording of the romantic symphony, the Symphony Fantastique by Hector Berlioz. As a delicious bonus, Paul Paray also conducts other great instrumental works by Berlioz, including the Overture to his monumental opera, Les Troyens (the French opera equivalent of Wagne'rs Ring operas) and the Roman Carnival Overture. At Paul Paray's baton, the structure and flowing melodic lines of the symphony are appropriately romantic, lilting and lush, especially in the "Reveries and Passions" first movement, the introduction of the idee fixe (fixed idea or theme, in this case, the hero's romantic love interest), "A Ball" and "Scene In The Countyside". Paray adds variety and contrast to the final movements, effectively dramatic and intense, as the darker aspects of the symphony unfold "The Witch's Sabbath" and "March To The Scaffold".

It is said that perhaps even Berlioz himself indulged in opium to compose this incredible symphony. Artists in the 19th century were known to hallucinate and create "artificial paradises" for inspiration while taking drugs as heavy as cocaine is today. The symphony tells the story of a young artist and hopeless romantic, without a name, who falls in love with a beautiful and ideal woman (her signature theme is the idee fixe, which turns up in each of the movements). He is infatuated and obscessed by her, seeing her virtually everywhere, including a masked ball. But after the scene in the countryside, there is a great change. The woman he loves has evidently jilted him and becomes a darker person. In the "Witches Sabbath" she is a witch and quite prepared to have him killed. In the final movement, March To The Scaffold, the hero is lead to an execution block where the axe is dropped on him by his own beloved.

The intense symphony encompasses the greatest elements of Romanticism in the 19th century. It has a romantic story, orchestrated with lush strings and winds, it has drama and darkness, full of fire and a nearly Beethoven-like finale. This is the best recording because it does not drag on seemingly forever in the slower tempos, it is balanced and full of variety and contrasted with the dark drama of the last movements. It is said that this symphony has two sides- Apollonyan, meaning classical, perfect aesthetic musical structure, and the Dyonisian, wild, orgiastic and frenzied horror. This recording blends both extremes to perfection. I am a music teacher and recommend this to any serious listener of classical music who will appreciate everything about the living art of symphonic music.

Beyond words: just listen........2002-10-17

A friend of mine tells me Paul Paray had some sort of unexplainable gift in acheiving such perfect excellence with spooky ease. I bought several recordings to try to understand this, and this one represents well.

The startling ease in which such extreme expressions come across (definitely not labored, heavy, and overblown) is even the more powerful when you compare side-by-side with other "fantastique" recordings. Paray gets across the wildness of the orgies, the the timid and passionate character of the idee fixe, and never seems too work to hard.

Shame on whoever is in charge of discontinuing this CD. Start seeking out used stores now, and grab this gem whenever you can! You won't believe the sound. And, as always (for the music students like myself), the Mercury liner notes provide such great background-- you could almost write your paper solely on this disk and its liner notes ((although, it can't hurt to have the score! :)

Grab this quick.

Music Review: