Born: 1803, La Côte-Saint-André, France
Died: 1869, Paris, France

“The prevailing characteristics of my music are passionate expression, rhythmic animation, and unexpected turns.”

Berlioz went to Paris to study medicine but soon found his way to the Opéra, where he listened, enraptured, to the stage works of Gluck and Spontini. He learned the fundamentals of music from Le Sueur, the master of Paris’ Chapel Royal, but the works of Shakespeare, Byron, and Goethe also made a profound impression on the young man. His Romantic sensibility shines through works like the Symphonie fantastique, Harold in Italy, and The Damnation of Faust.

Further listening:
Harold in Italy, Op. 16 (1834)
Daniel Benyamini, viola;
Israel Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
(Decca Eloquence)

La damnation de Faust (1845-1846)
Richard Van Allan, Gillian Knight,
Josephine Veasey, Nicolai Gedda;
London Symphony, Colin Davis (Philips)

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