Berlioz, the passionate, ardent, irrepressible genius of French Romanticism, left a rich and original oeuvre which exerted a profound influence on nineteenth century music. Berlioz developed a profound affinity toward music and literature as a child. Sent to Paris at 17 to study medicine, he was enchanted by Gluck's operas, firmly deciding to become a composer. With his father's reluctant consent, Berlioz entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1826. Read more His originality was already apparent and disconcerting -- a competition cantata, Cléopâtre (1829), looms as his first sustained masterpiece -- and he won the Prix de Rome in 1830 amid the turmoil of the July Revolution. Meanwhile, a performance of Hamlet in September 1827, with Harriet Smithson as Ophelia, provoked an overwhelming but unrequited passion, whose aftermath may be heard in the Symphonie fantastique (1830).

Returning from Rome, Berlioz organized a concert in 1832, featuring his symphony. Harriet Smithson was in the audience. They were introduced days later and married on October 3, 1833.

Berlioz settled into a career pattern which he maintained for more than a decade, writing reviews, organizing concerts, and composing a series of visionary masterpieces: Harold en Italie (1834), the monumental Requiem (1837), and an opera, Benvenuto Cellini (1838), a crushing fiasco. At year's end, the dying Paganini made Berlioz a gift of 20,000 francs, enabling him to devote nearly a year to the composition of his "dramatic symphony," Roméo et Juliette (1839). And then, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the July Revolution, came the Symphonie funèbre et triomphale (1840).

Iridescently scored, an exquisite collection of six Gautier settings, Les nuits d'été, opened the new decade. This was a difficult time for Berlioz, as his marriage failed to bring him the happiness he desired. Concert tours to Brussels, many German cities, Vienna, Pesth, Prague, and London occupied him through most of the 1840s. He composed La Damnation de Faust, en route, offering the new work to a half-empty house in Paris, December 6, 1846. Expenses were catastrophic, and only a successful concert tour to St. Petersburg saved him.

He sat out the revolutionary upheavals of 1848 in London, returning to Paris in July. The massive Te Deum -- a "little brother" to the Requiem -- was largely composed over 1849, though it would not be heard until 1855. L'Enfance du Christ, scored an immediate and enduring success from its first performance on December 10, 1854. Elected to the Institut de France in 1855, he started receiving a members' stipend, and this provided him with a modicum of financial security. Consequently, Berlioz was able to devote himself to the summa of his career, his vast opera, Les Troyens, based on Virgil's Aeneid, the Roman poet's unfinished epic masterpiece. The opera was completed in 1858. As he negotiated for its performance, he composed a comique adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, which met with a rapturous Baden première, on August 9, 1862. Unfortunately, only the third, fourth, and fifth acts of Les Troyens were mounted by the Théatre-Lyrique, a successful premiere, on November 4, 1863, and a run of 21 performances notwithstanding. This lopsided production stemmed from a compromise (bitterly regretted by the composer) that Berlioz had made with the Théâtre-Lyrique.

Though frail and ailing, Berlioz conducted his works in Vienna and Cologne in 1866, traveling to St. Petersburg and Moscow in the winter of 1867-1868. Despondent and tortured by self-doubt, the composer received a triumphant welcome in Russia. Back in Paris in March 1868, he was but a walking shadow as paralysis slowly overcame him. Read less

Featured Hector Berlioz CDs & DVDs:

Crespin - Régine Crespin, Berlioz & Poulenc

Release Date: 05/06/2003 Label: Emi Classics
Catalog: 92847 Number of Discs: 1

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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Etc / Mariss Jansons, Et Al

Release Date: 06/10/2003 Label: Emi Classics Encore
Catalog: 85041 Number of Discs: 1

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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony

Release Date: 01/12/2010 Label: San Francisco Symphony
Catalog: 33 Number of Discs: 1

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Keeping Score - Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Release Date: 11/10/2009 Label: San Francisco Symphony
Catalog: 22 Number of Discs: 1

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Berlioz: Les Nuits D' Été; Fauré / David Daniels, Et Al

Release Date: 05/04/2004 Label: Virgin Classics
Catalog: 45646 Number of Discs: 1

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Work: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Label: Accentus Catalog: 101 Release Date: 01/27/2015 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Hector Berlioz
Conductor: Fabio Luisi

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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Yves Rechsteiner

Label: Gall (Formerly Gallo) Catalog: 1416 Release Date: 12/09/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Hector Berlioz
Performer: Yves Rechsteiner

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3.

Pierre Boulez - The Complete Columbia Album Collection

Label: Sony Catalog: 301333 Release Date: 11/24/2014 Number of Discs: 67
Composer: Béla Bartók, Alexander Scriabin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Alban Berg ...
Performer: Karl Dönch, Isabel Strauss, Walter Berry, Fritz Uhl ...
Conductor: Pierre Boulez, Anton Webern
Orchestra/Ensemble: New York Philharmonic, Camerata Singers, Schola Cantorum New York ...
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Seiji Ozawa - The Philips Years: Original Jacket Collection [50-CD Set]

Label: Decca Catalog: 002185602 Release Date: 11/18/2014 Number of Discs: 50
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Béla Bartók, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz ...
Performer: Mariko Kobayashi, Everett Firth, Hiroshi Arimori, Sawako Yasue ...
Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Symphony Orchestra, Saito Kinen Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers ...
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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Hansjorg Albrecht

Label: Oehms Catalog: 692 Release Date: 11/11/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Hector Berlioz
Performer: Hansjörg Albrecht

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Phase 4 Stereo - Stereo Concert Series

Label: Decca Catalog: 002188302 Release Date: 10/27/2014 Number of Discs: 41
Composer: John Philip Sousa, Charles A. Zimmerman, Francis S. Van Boskerck, George Norton ...
Performer: Stanley Black, David Parkhouse, Alan Loveday, Robert Merrill ...
Conductor: Rodney Bashford, Stanley Black, Bernard Herrmann, Edward Downes ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Grenadier Guards Band, London Festival Orchestra, London Festival Recording Ensemble ...

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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Gergiev [SACD & Blu-ray]

Label: Lso Live Catalog: 757 Release Date: 10/14/2014 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Hector Berlioz
Conductor: Valery Gergiev
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra

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8.

The Incomparable Celibidache [5-DVD Set]

Label: Opus Arte Catalog: 1152 Release Date: 09/30/2014 Number of Discs: 5
Composer: Anton Bruckner, Hector Berlioz, Luigi Cherubini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ...
Conductor: Sergiu Celibidache
Orchestra/Ensemble: Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra Turin

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9.

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Le Carnaval Romain / Monteux, Pierne

Label: Opus Kura Catalog: 2108 Release Date: 06/10/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Hector Berlioz
Conductor: Pierre Monteux, Gabriel Pierné
Orchestra/Ensemble: Orchestre Symphonique De Paris, Colonne Concerts Orchestra

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10.

100 Great Symphonies

Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 002054602 Release Date: 06/03/2014 Number of Discs: 56
Composer: Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Johann Wenzel Stamitz, Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Johann Christian Bach ...
Performer: Dame Gwyneth Jones, Hanna Schwarz, René Kollo, Kurt Moll ...
Conductor: Kevin Mallon, Christopher Hogwood, Thomas Füri, Sir Neville Marriner ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Aradia Ensemble, Academy of Ancient Music, Camerata Bern ...

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11.

Karajan: Orchestra Spectaculars From Handel To Bartok

Label: Warner Classics Catalog: 633621 Release Date: 05/27/2014 Number of Discs: 13
Composer: Jean Sibelius, Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, George Frideric Handel ...
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble: Philharmonia Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Label: Helicon Catalog: 29673 Release Date: 05/13/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Alexander Borodin, Hector Berlioz
Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda

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13.

RCA Living Stereo Collection Vol 1

Label: Rca Catalog: 541497 Release Date: 04/15/2014 Number of Discs: 60
Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy, Jacques Ibert, Maurice Ravel ...
Performer: Berj Zamkochian, John Weicher, Philip Farkas, Jascha Heifetz ...
Conductor: Charles Munch, Fritz Reiner, Kiril Kondrashin, Arthur Fiedler ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Symphony Orchestra, New England Conservatory Chorus, New England Conservatory Alumni Chorus ...
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14.

Sir Colin Davis - Anthology

Label: Lso Live Catalog: 766 Release Date: 04/08/2014 Number of Discs: 13
Composer: Hector Berlioz, Antonín Dvorák, Sir Edward Elgar, Jean Sibelius ...
Performer: Ben Heppner, Michelle DeYoung, Petra Lang, Sara Mingardo ...
Conductor: Sir Colin Davis
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus
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Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Varese: Ionisation / Mariss Jansons

Label: Br Klassik Catalog: 900121 Release Date: 03/25/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Hector Berlioz, Edgard Varèse
Conductor: Mariss Jansons
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
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16.

The Westminster Legacy

Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 001999302 Release Date: 02/18/2014 Number of Discs: 40
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Joseph Haydn, Gustav Mahler ...
Performer: Sena Jurinac, Lucretia West, Hans Loeffler, Frederick Guthrie ...
Conductor: Hermann Scherchen, Pierre Monteux, René Leibowitz, Erich Leinsdorf ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Vienna Academy Chamber Chorus ...

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17.

Berlioz: Phantastische Symphonie, Op. 14; Richard Strauss: Tod Und Verklarung, Op. 24

Label: Bella Musica Catalog: 312450 Release Date: 01/28/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Hector Berlioz, Richard Strauss
Conductor: Carl-August Bünte
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18.

Europakonzert 2001 At Istanbul / Pahud, Jansons [blu-ray]

Label: Euroarts Catalog: 2051444 Release Date: 01/28/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Hector Berlioz
Performer: Emmanuel Pahud
Conductor: Mariss Jansons
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

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19.

Roger Norrington - The Romantics

Label: Hänssler Classic Catalog: 93313 Release Date: 01/28/2014 Number of Discs: 10
Composer: Franz Schubert, Hector Berlioz, Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Bruckner ...
Performer: Anu Komsi
Conductor: Roger Norrington
Orchestra/Ensemble: Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Orchestra
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20.

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Label: Hi. Q Catalog: 14 Release Date: 11/19/2013 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Hector Berlioz
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein

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21.

Stanislaw Skrowaczewski: The Complete Oehms Classics Recordings

Label: Oehms Catalog: 90 Release Date: 11/19/2013 Number of Discs: 28
Composer: Anton Bruckner, Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms ...
Performer: Annette Dasch, Daniela Sindram, Christian Elsner, George Zeppenfeld ...
Conductor: Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
Orchestra/Ensemble: Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Chorus, Saarbrücken Radio Philharmonic Orchestra ...
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22.

Berlin Philharmonic - Centenary Edition

Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 001923302 Release Date: 10/22/2013 Number of Discs: 50
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss ...
Performer: Géza Anda, Walter Berry, Gundula Janowitz, Hilde Rössl-Majdan ...
Conductor: Arthur Nikisch, Alfred Hertz, Richard Strauss, Bruno Walter ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Singverein, Swedish Radio Chorus ...

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23.

Berlioz Masterworks / Dutoit, Montreal [17-CD Collector's Edition]

Label: Decca Catalog: 001915202 Release Date: 10/22/2013 Number of Discs: 17
Composer: Hector Berlioz, Dimitri Bortniansky, Johann Paul A. Martini
Performer: Françoise Pollet, Deborah Voigt, Gino Quilico, Jean-Phillipe Courtis ...
Conductor: Charles Dutoit
Orchestra/Ensemble: Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Chorus

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24.

Haydn: Symphony no 83 "The Hen"; Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Barbirolli

Label: Ica Classics Catalog: 5105 Release Date: 09/24/2013 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn, Hector Berlioz
Conductor: Sir John Barbirolli
Orchestra/Ensemble: South West German Radio Orchestra
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25.

Berlioz: Complete Orchestral & Sacred Works / Colin Davis

Label: Decca Catalog: 4804868 Release Date: 09/03/2013 Number of Discs: 13
Composer: Hector Berlioz
Performer: Nobuko Imai, John Shirley-Quirk, Patricia Kern, Robert Tear ...
Conductor: Sir Colin Davis
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, John Alldis Choir ...
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