“His Orchestration is so dirty that I have to wash my hands after turning over the pages of his scores” (Mendelssohn on Berlioz)
Berlioz was never one to do things by halves, and Romeo & Juliet is probably one of his most ambitious ever projects – the first performance had an orchestra of over 100, a chorus of 101 voices, plus soloists. It is a passionate, lush piece which pushed the limits of what an orchestra could do, its vivid and dramatic scene-setting upstages that of many operas, and this rare performance of the piece by a period-instrument orchestra is an event not to be missed.
Berlioz Roméo et Juliette
Sir Mark Elder conductor
Patricia Bardon mezzo-soprano
John Mark Ainsley tenor
Orlin Anastassov bass
BBC Symphony Chorus
Schola Cantorum of Oxford
Listen to the music on Spotify here.
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