Hector Berlioz

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Biography

Born: 1803   Died: 1869   Country: France   Period: Romantic
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 funčbre 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 premičre, 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:

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Slatkin, Lyon NO
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Slatkin, Lyon NO
Release Date: 09/25/2012   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8572886   Number of Discs: 1
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Berlioz: Les Troyens / Pappano, Antonacci, Hymel, Westbroek, Capitanucci
Berlioz: Les Troyens / Pappano, Antonacci, Hymel, Westbroek, Capitanucci
Release Date: 11/19/2013   Label: Opus Arte  
Catalog: 1097   Number of Discs: 2
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Berlioz: Complete Orchestral & Sacred Works / Colin Davis
Berlioz: Complete Orchestral & Sacred Works / Colin Davis
Release Date: 09/03/2013   Label: Decca  
Catalog: 4804868   Number of Discs: 13
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Classic Library - Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Etc
Classic Library - Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Etc
Release Date: 07/13/2004   Label: Rca Victor Red Seal  
Catalog: 60859   Number of Discs: 1
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Berlioz: Nuits D'ete; Herminie / Delunsch, Balleys, Herreweghe
Berlioz: Nuits D'ete; Herminie / Delunsch, Balleys, Herreweghe
Release Date: 10/13/2009   Label: Harmonia Mundi  
Catalog: 501522   Number of Discs: 1
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Work: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

Browse 1-25 of 181 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    Ernest Ansermet - French Music
    Ernest Ansermet - French Music
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 4807898 Release Date: 11/12/2013   Number of Discs: 32
    Composer:  Claude Debussy,  Maurice Ravel,  Camille Saint-Saëns,  Hector Berlioz  ... 
    Performer:  Robert Gugolz,  Marie-Luise de Montmollin,  Nancy Waugh,  Suzanne Danco  ... 
    Conductor:  Ernest Ansermet
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Suisse Romande Orchestra,  Union Chorale de la Tour-de-Peilz,  Geneva Motet Choir  ... 
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  • 2.
    Berlin Philharmonic - Centenary Edition
    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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  • 3.
    Berlioz Masterworks / Dutoit, Montreal [17-CD Collector's Edition]
    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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  • 4.
    Haydn: Symphony no 83
    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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  • 5.
    Berlioz: Complete Orchestral & Sacred Works / Colin Davis
    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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  • 6.
    Karajan - 1970s
    Karajan - 1970s
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001873702 Release Date: 09/03/2013   Number of Discs: 82
    Composer:  Arcangelo Corelli,  Francesco Manfredini,  Pietro Antonio Locatelli,  Giuseppe Torelli  ... 
    Performer:  Thomas Brandis,  Michel Schwalbé,  Karlheinz Zöller,  Edith Mathis  ... 
    Conductor:  Herbert von Karajan,  Hans Priem Bergrath
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  Vienna Singverein,  Berlin Deutsche Oper Chorus  ... 
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  • 7.
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Barenboim, West-eastern Divan Orchestra
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Barenboim, West-eastern Divan Orchestra
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001870002 Release Date: 08/20/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Hector Berlioz,  Franz Liszt
    Conductor:  Daniel Barenboim
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
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  • 8.
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
    Label: Urania Historical   Catalog: 22398 Release Date: 07/16/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Hector Berlioz,  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Claude Debussy
    Conductor:  Bruno Walter
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  • 9.
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14; Vaughan Williams: Tallis Fantasia; Debussy: Prelude A L'apres-midi D'un Faune
    Label: Urania   Catalog: 22257 Release Date: 07/16/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Hector Berlioz,  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Claude Debussy
    Conductor:  Bruno Walter
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  • 10.
    Herbert Von Karajan: The Columbia Golden Years
    Label: Urania   Catalog: 22304 Release Date: 07/16/2013   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Johannes Brahms,  Franz Schubert,  Hector Berlioz  ... 
    Conductor:  Herbert von Karajan
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  • 11.
    Humperdinck: Hansel Und Gretel
    Label: Urania   Catalog: 22266 Release Date: 07/16/2013   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Engelbert Humperdinck,  Hector Berlioz
    Performer:  Rolando Panerai,  Sena Jurinac,  Vittoria Palombini,  Elisabeth [Soprano vocals] Schwarzkopf  ... 
    Conductor:  Herbert von Karajan
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  • 12.
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Orozko-estrada, Tonkunstler Orchester Niederosterreich
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Orozko-estrada, Tonkunstler Orchester Niederosterreich
    Label: Oehms   Catalog: 869 Release Date: 06/25/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Hector Berlioz
    Conductor:  Andrés Orozko-estrada
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Niederosterreich Orchestra
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  • 13.
    Colin Davis: The Philips Years [15-CD Set]
    Colin Davis: The Philips Years [15-CD Set]
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001850302 Release Date: 06/18/2013   Number of Discs: 15
    Composer:  Béla Bartók,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Hector Berlioz,  Modest Mussorgsky  ... 
    Performer:  Stephen Kovacevich,  Claudio Arrau,  Jessye Norman,  Jon Vickers  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Colin Davis
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  BBC Symphony Orchestra,  Dresden Staatskapelle  ... 
    On sale! $74.98
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  • 14.
    Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro Overture / Klemperer, Menuhin
    Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro Overture / Klemperer, Menuhin
    Label: Testament   Catalog: 1479 Release Date: 06/11/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Hector Berlioz
    Performer:  Yehudi Menuhin
    Conductor:  Otto Klemperer
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  New Philharmonia Orchestra
    On sale! $34.98
    CD: $29.99
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  • 15.
    The John Eliot Gardiner Collection
    The John Eliot Gardiner Collection
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001826002 Release Date: 04/30/2013   Number of Discs: 30
    Composer:  Claudio Monteverdi,  Henry Purcell,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  George Frideric Handel  ... 
    Performer:  Marinella Pennicchi,  Michael Chance,  Mark Tucker,  Bryn Terfel  ... 
    Conductor:  John Eliot Gardiner
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  English Baroque Soloists,  Monteverdi Choir,  His Majesties Sagbutts and Cornetts  ... 
    On sale! $99.98
    CD: $74.99
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  • 16.
    The Art Of Sir Georg Solti
    The Art Of Sir Georg Solti
    Label: Eloquence   Catalog: 1037609 Release Date: 03/05/2013   Number of Discs: 25
    Composer:  Béla Bartók,  Zoltán Kodály,  Leó Weiner,  Ludwig van Beethoven  ... 
    Performer:  Alexandru Agache,  Tamás Daróczy,  Julia Varády,  Iris Vermillion  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Georg Solti
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  Hungarian Radio/TV Chorus,  Budapest Festival Orchestra  ... 
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  • 17.
    Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Nuits D'ete (Ii-vi)
    Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Nuits D'ete (Ii-vi)
    Label: Praga   Catalog: 350071 Release Date: 02/12/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Hector Berlioz
    Performer:  Eleanor Steber
    Conductor:  Pierre Monteux,  Dimitri Mitropoulos
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,  New York Philharmonic
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  • 18.
    Icon - Constantin Silvestri [15-CD Set]
    Icon - Constantin Silvestri [15-CD Set]
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 233472 Release Date: 02/05/2013   Number of Discs: 15
    Composer:  Antonín Dvorák,  Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,  George Enescu,  Franz Liszt  ... 
    Conductor:  Constantin Silvestri
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Orchestre de la Société du Conservatoire Paris  ... 
    Recommendation
    On sale! $35.99
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  • 19.
    Philips Original Jackets Collection [55-CD Set]
    Philips Original Jackets Collection [55-CD Set]
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001767702 Release Date: 12/04/2012   Number of Discs: 55
    Composer:  Max Bruch,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Johannes Brahms,  Gioachino Rossini  ... 
    Performer:  Salvatore Accardo,  Elisabeth Unger,  Claudio Arrau,  Thomas Zehetmair  ... 
    Conductor:  Kurt Masur,  Bernard Haitink,  Frans Brüggen,  Simon Rattle  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Beaux Arts Trio  ... 
    On sale! $169.98
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  • 20.
    Gary Bertini Conducts Strauss, Mahler, Ravel, Debussy, Berlioz
    Gary Bertini Conducts Strauss, Mahler, Ravel, Debussy, Berlioz
    Label: Capriccio Records   Catalog: 7136 Release Date: 11/13/2012   Number of Discs: 5
    Composer:  Hector Berlioz,  Maurice Ravel,  Claude Debussy,  Gustav Mahler  ... 
    Performer:  Martha Argerich,  Hĺkan Hagegĺrd,  Thomas Quasthoff,  Elisabeth Leonskaja
    Conductor:  Gary Bertini
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra
    CD: $24.99
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  • 21.
    Romantic Symphonies & Overtures / Otto Klemperer
    Romantic Symphonies & Overtures / Otto Klemperer
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 404309 Release Date: 11/06/2012   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Franz Schubert,  Antonín Dvorák,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Robert Schumann  ... 
    Performer:  Dame Janet Baker,  Heather Harper
    Conductor:  Otto Klemperer
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philharmonia Orchestra,  Philharmonia Chorus,  New Philharmonia Orchestra
    Recommendation
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    CD: $37.49
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  • 22.
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Concert Overtures / Norrington, Cambreling
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Concert Overtures / Norrington, Cambreling
    Label: Hänssler Classic   Catalog: 94614 Release Date: 10/30/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Hector Berlioz
    Conductor:  Sylvain Cambreling,  Roger Norrington
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
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  • 23.
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Slatkin, Lyon National Orchestra
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Slatkin, Lyon National Orchestra
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: NBD0029 Release Date: 09/25/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Hector Berlioz
    Conductor:  Leonard Slatkin
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Lyon National Orchestra
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  • 24.
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Slatkin, Lyon NO
    Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique / Slatkin, Lyon NO
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8572886 Release Date: 09/25/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Hector Berlioz
    Conductor:  Leonard Slatkin
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Lyon National Orchestra
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  • 25.
    Karajan - 1960s
    Karajan - 1960s
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001684302 Release Date: 06/26/2012   Number of Discs: 82
    Composer:  Richard Strauss,  Johannes Brahms,  Antonín Dvorák,  Bedrich Smetana  ... 
    Performer:  Shura Cherkassky,  Hilde Rössl-Majdan,  Wilma Lipp,  Anton Dermota  ... 
    Conductor:  Herbert von Karajan,  Hans Priem-Bergrath
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  Vienna Singverein,  Vienna Symphony Orchestra  ... 
    On sale! $299.98
    CD: $219.99
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