Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique/Roméo Et Juliette

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It was simply a matter of time before Munch's feverish, go-for-broke 1954 recording of the Symphonie fantastique showed up on RCA's Living Stereo reissue series. The stereo that lives on this disc is primitive to be sure, with noticeable tape hiss and some weird resonances from the timpani, but for character, panache, and sheer abandon the interpretation is hard to beat. The filler, 13 beautiful minutes from Romeo et Juliette, was recorded in 1961 and shows the BSO with a good deal more polish, still glowingly expressive. --Ted Libbey

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.

Tracks:

Buxtehude: Fanfare - Adolph Herseth/Vincent Cichowicz/William Scarlett/Charles Geyer/Dale Clevenger/Jay Friedman...
We Are Enormously Complex
Hn Con No.1 in E flat: 1st Movt: Allegro
Hn Con No.1 in E flat: 2nd Movt: Andante
Hn Con No.1 in E flat: 3rd Movt: Allegro
The Musician Plays The Instrument
Playing For The Audience
Programming The Brain
Czardas
Carnival Of Venice
Con: 1st Movt
Etude No.24
'Czardas' With The Metronome
This Is An Art Form
We Play By Song And Wind
Canzon Per Sonare No.2 - Adolph Herseth/Vincent Cichowicz/Dale Clevenger/Jay Friedman/Arnold Jacobs
Lohengrin: King Heinrich's Call (Exc) - Jay Friedman/Arnold Jacobs
Sym Fantastique: Dies Irae
Become A Singer In Your Brain
There Must Be A Source Of Vibration
Breath As A Motor Force
Sonatine: 1st Movt: Allegro Vivo - Adolph Herseth/Vincent Cichowicz/Richard Oldberg/Frank Crisafulli/Arnold Jacobs
Sonatine: 2nd Movt: Andante Ma Non Troppo - Adolph Herseth/Vincent Cichowicz/Richard Oldberg/Frank Crisafulli/Arnold Jacobs
Sonatine: 3rd Movt: Allegro Vivo - Adolph Herseth/Vincent Cichowicz/Richard Oldberg/Frank Crisafulli/Arnold Jacobs
Sonatine: 4th Movt: Largo; Allegro - Adolph Herseth/Vincent Cichowicz/Richard Oldberg/Frank Crisafulli/Arnold Jacobs
Keeping Music As An Art Form
Breathe To Expand
F Tuba Demonstration With Berlioz
Romeo And Juliet (Exc) - Chicago SO/Carlo Maria Giulini
Con: 2nd Movt (Exc) - Chicago SO/Fritz Reiner
Petrouchka (Exc) - Chicago SO/James Levine
Sym No.4: 1st Movt (Exc) - Chicago SO/Jean Martinon
Sym No.4: 1st Movt (Exc) - Chicago SO/Daniel Barenboim
The Key For Communicating In Music
Pictures At An Exhibition: The Great Gate Of Kiev (Exc) - Chicago SO/Fritz Reiner

Customer Reviews:

Jacobs was overrated.......2005-09-28

Arnold Jacobs was a brilliant man who could have succeeded in practically any profession. He was also a fine musical pedagogue, judging from his verbal insights on this CD with respect to the human body as a musical instrument. Yet, I am amazed that he rose to the rank of tubist in a world-class orchestra such as the Chicago Symphony. Frankly, I found his tone quality uninspiring, although he had fine techinque. I have heard at least half a dozen tubists whose tone is far more pleasing musically. Among the bassmen/women of the world, Jacobs has become a semi-divine entity. I believe that he has been somewhat overrated as a result. I felt that his verbal commentaries were highly educational; I was disappointed by his playing overall.

The Great Arnold Jacobs Captured on C.D........2005-04-02

This is a prolific set of audio that captures the historical sound of Arnold Jacobs' playing and teaching. I bought this C.D. because I wanted to explore the limits and capabilities of a tuba player so that I could see if playing music on the tuba was for me. This C.D. banished any doubt that I had about the ability of a tuba player to achieve at the utmost musical level. I have never meet Mr. Jacobs in real life, but this C.D. made me feel as if I was in a master class or recital hall listening to him myself. I would recommend this C.D. to anyone who loves music. As Arnold Jacbos said " It's not about the tuba, it's about music".

arnold jacobs.......2001-05-16

This cd tries to capture arnold jacobs: a prolific teacher, player and above all a great man. while listening, you'll discover the ideals, the methods and ideas that made arnold jacobs the best tuba player that there'll probably ever be. The more complex issues and artistry of brass playing are explained in simple words and sayings. a great deal of jacobs' lectures is also given, and you can also see the importance of understanding the functioning of other body units that help us trough our playing (the brain). a great disc, highly recommended, not only for tuba players, but for all brass players.

inspiring technician musician artist.......2000-09-01

Cannot agree more,this is a wonderful exposition of Jacobs the teacher,for he had developed working concepts any wind player could adopt.His studio in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago was like a mecca for all wind players coming to Jacobs to resolve some deep-rooted performing problem. As he says( my paraphrasing) " they get tied up in knots,worrying about all the motions of the lip. . .you can't think about all those motions for they are thousands of motions from the brain to engage in performing a brass instrument "

As a brass player myself,(trombone & tuba) I have always sensed we have little repertoire to play of any interest,but Jacobs in a lecture here reveals this problem and one way to solve it, is to consciously search for things to play,like an aria from Puccini,or a particular non-tuba passage,to duplicate it,a piano or violin solo. What this approach implies is then for the brass player to develop skills as a consummate musician/ virtuoso,for you are forever challenged then to expand your repertoire endlessly,as much as the instrument or your technique will allow. I now find myself playing Chopin Preludes(Eb-minor,B-minor melodies only) on the trombone,and contrabass orchestral excerpts or trumpet etudes on the tuba,and Jacobs encourages tuba players to learn to read treble clef to be able to read any melody.

There are wonderful examples here from all genres in music from solo etudes in his studio to Berlioz and Wagner excerpts, solo and within the context of the orchestra. It all reveals the seemless consistent sound Jacobs was able to summon from his York tuba. Every attach was uniform,every tone even and pure,at least that is what he heard in his ear. That's another Jacobs credo,you have to have the sound in your head,what do you want your listener to hear. You command that.

The Bozza Sonatine(brass quintet) is also a wonderful performance of great brass music,great use of colours and entrances,breaking down the quintet into smaller duets and trios.This all with Chicago Symphony players makes it all the more interesting,a vintage performance from 1966.I recall those days where solo brass was considered an oddity,and unaccompanied solos even more so.

Jacob's sound should remain in your mind's hearing to duplicate it. Eugene Pokorny (Jacob's Chicago Symphony successor) also provides insightful interesting notes here.

Arnold Jacobs - Icon of education and performance.......2000-08-23

Amazing! For the students who studied directly with Arnold Jacobs, "Protrait of an Artist" will take you back to his studio, sitting right next to him. This excellent collection of lectures (lessons) and demonstrations are a fantastic embodiment of Arnold Jacobs' concepts and teachings. It is certainly a must for any music performer or educator. From the samples of CSO performances at the end of this CD to the practice tapes, the music on this CD is truely inspirational.

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:

A tempting treasury, but only a few performances are great
Berlioz with immaginative variety

The Berlioz Experience

Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
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

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

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets

ASIN: B00008RWRJ
Release Date: 2003-10-14

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.

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique/Roméo Et Juliette

Average customer rating:

The Golden Age of stereo began here
A dull, plodding, un-Fantastique rendition
A note on the recording
Music-making of the old (French) school
Horrible!

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique/Roméo Et Juliette

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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ASIN: B000003GBQ
Release Date: 1998-02-10

Tracks:

Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: Reveries: Passions
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: A Ball
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: Scene In The Country
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: March To The Scaffold
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: Witches' Sabbath
Romeo et Juliette, Op. 19: Love Scene

Amazon.com

It was simply a matter of time before Munch's feverish, go-for-broke 1954 recording of the Symphonie fantastique showed up on RCA's Living Stereo reissue series. The stereo that lives on this disc is primitive to be sure, with noticeable tape hiss and some weird resonances from the timpani, but for character, panache, and sheer abandon the interpretation is hard to beat. The filler, 13 beautiful minutes from Romeo et Juliette, was recorded in 1961 and shows the BSO with a good deal more polish, still glowingly expressive. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

The Golden Age of stereo began here.......2006-06-19

In 1954 Fritz Reiner recorded Also Sprach Zarathustra and Charles Munch the Symphonie fantastique, and in their Living Stereo reissues one could mistkae them for contemporary recordings, so clear, detailed, and dynamic are they. In terms of atmosphere and spaciousness, they surpass many current recordings. For far too long RCA abused them with edgy early digitual reissues, but now they've been given a new lease on life, and the lease keeps being extended--now BMG has issued a hybrid SACD of this classic.

What makes me even more grateful is that in 1954 making stereo tapes was an act of faith on the part of the engineers, who set up separate mikes for the mono version; there was no playback equipment yet devised for the home market that could play stereo LPs, and wouldn't be for several more years.

Of course it's the performance that counts most here, and Munch is light, spontaneous, and always careful to keep the music fresh. The fact that he doesn't turn the Symphonie fantastique into a sonic blockbuster is what makes the sound so delightful--we are never bludgeoned. I'm baffled by the description of Munch's approach as go-for-broke. The March to the Scaffold is, if anything, a bit understated, and the Witches' Sabbath, though spectral, doesn't strain for ghoulishly lurid effects.

In sum, I was as delighted with Munch's restraint as I was with the sound. A classic in the Berlioz discography.

A dull, plodding, un-Fantastique rendition.......2004-10-18

No matter how many times Charles Munch slaughtered the Symphonie Fantastique, he still remained incapable of coming to grips with a very basic truth of musicology: Berlioz was not Mozart. No one can fault the classical precision of an orchestra playing this work under his direction -- the fault lies in the loss of the romanticism through the dull, boring, and terribly SLOW tempi which seem to be necessary to achieve that precision. Melodies which should swirl upward in dizzying spirals move instead with the plodding step of a heavily-laden hiker pacing himself on a steep slope. Melodies which should fall in shimmering cascades instead descend like a leaky tire. Granted, Munch made the listener hear every note of Berlioz's technique as a composer -- what he did NOT make you hear is the firely romanticism which was the eccentric Hector Berlioz.

The disappointments begin with the very opening. Those of us accustomed to more passionate renditions wonder at once "did I put the right CD in the drive? Can this really be the Symphonie Fantastique?" It actually takes a few bars before such a listener can even recognize it. Over the years, the one movement Munch did at a consistently correct tempo is the March to the Scaffold. And, in this recording, he came close -- perhaps for the first time -- to the correct tempo for the second movement, although the harp arpeggios still sound painfully plucked note by note instead of really "played." But the other three movements remain typical Munch Berlioz, the sort that make the listener want to make cranking motions while groaning "come ON, get a MOVE on, you can DO it, Charles, just move your hands about 50% faster, get the LEAD out, man ....."

A note on the recording.......2003-04-22

This is, to my mind, one of the truly great Berlioz interpretations. This is not really disputed by earlier reviews, but there have been comments on the sound. It is worth noting that the recordings made by RCA from '54 to '56 were really experiments with no clear intent to market the results. As John Pfieffer, the producer, noted in any number of interviews, the stereo recordings were made while commercial monaural sessions were going on. In some cases, they did not even continuously monitor the stereo as it was being laid down on tape. The biggest problem, since they were using a two- or three-mic setup, was finding the ideal position to produce a good balance between direct and reverberant sound. Boston Symphony Hall is much more reverberant than Chicago Symphony Hall and caused more problems of the type noted by some listeners, but also ended up producing some of the most spectacular results once the sweet-spot was found. The Munch: Saint-Saens 3rd Symphony is a good example.

Many of these recordings were not even released in stereo at first, having to wait until this CD series was created in the mid-90's. I think this one was, though, first on stereo reel-to-reel tape and then on LP. I do recommend that anyone interested in this great performance snap up the CD while it is still available. As many know, BMG has a much lower commitment to the classics than they used to and are axing many titles as they sell out. And the great John Pfieffer and Richard Mohr are no longer around to protest.

Happy listening.

Music-making of the old (French) school.......2002-12-11

Charles Munch managed the contradictory feat of performances that tingled with excitement without being crass, and managed clarity without being clinical about it. A very old-school conductor in that regard. This nearly half-century-old "Symphonie fantastique" is a case in point. I can't think of anyone else in my experience who has so neatly brought out the hints of delirium inherent in Berlioz's score--while maintaining Gallic unflappability. At times the whole thing threatens to come unglued, and that sense of living dangerously is probably what Berlioz intended (the neatly-organized performances of Sir Colin Davis, which for some are the standard in this symphony, are anything but "on the edge"). In this he is aided by the very French-sounding Boston Symphony, of which he was then music director, and while their technical smoothness probably didn't reach its peak under Munch's direction, you get the sense that they would go anywhere the sometimes unpredictable maestro asked. RCA's engineers were a little less helpful, producing dry, close-up (if immediate) early stereo that sounds more dated than the historic Strauss recordings they'd made with Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony earlier that year (1954). The sound improves greatly in the apt (and deliciously done) coupling from seven years later: the "Scene d'amour" from "Romeo et Juliette." It was at a performance of Shakespeare's play that Berlioz not only resolved to set the Bard's tale of "star cross'd lovers" to music one day, but also first laid eyes on the actress who became the indirect inspiration for "Symphonie fantastique" (and later, Mrs. Berlioz).

Horrible!.......2001-10-04

I've heard almost all of the versions of Symphonie Fantastique, and this one was probably the worst. I've heard middle school bands that have better brass sections than this orchestra. The entire Boston brass section on this recording is horrible - especially the low brass. The percussion is not together witht he rest of the ensemble, and there are really strange sounds coming from the timpani. I don't know what people are hearing to rate this any higher. If you want to get a good performance matched with great recording quality, then get the version done by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. That's the best version out there right now.

Berlioz: Symphony Fantastique, Op.14/Romeo And Juliet, Op.17/la Damnation De Faust, Op.24

Average customer rating:

A terrific bargain
Great Love Scene - Where's the Whole Work?
you get what you pay for
Great Music At Any Price!

Berlioz: Symphony Fantastique, Op.14/Romeo And Juliet, Op.17/la Damnation De Faust, Op.24

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000UVQ
Release Date: 1995-10-17

Tracks:

Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: I. Reveries - Passions
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: II. Un Bal
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: III. Scene aux champs
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14: IV. Marche au supplice
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: V. Songe d'une nuitde sabbat
Romeo And Juliet, Op. 17: Love Scene (Adagio)
La Damnation De Faust, Op. 24: Dance Of The Sylphs
La Damnation De Faust, Op. 24: Hungarian March

Customer Reviews:

A terrific bargain.......2005-11-29

Seraphim's release of Andre Cluytens Berlioz SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE with the Philharmonia Orchestra is a terrific bargain! For under $5.00, the listener gets a great recording of Berlioz revolutionary 1830 symphony, actually a tone poem/Tableux in 5 movements, very different from the symphonies Beethoven was writing just 15 years prior. Cluytens takes a Romantic view of the symphony, and his excellence in French music shines: paired with London's Philharmonia orchestra, the results are excellent.

Giulini's Chicago ROMEO AND JULIET excerpts are also highly recommendable; my only gripe is that all of them aren't included in this recording. However, we must be thankful for what IS offered here.

Almost anything conducted by Sir John Barbirolli (1899-1970) is recommendable in many circles (save for his Dvorak Symphonies, which are compromised by inferior sound, according to reviews I've read in AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE), and these excerpts from "Le Damnation de Faust" are no exception. Very fine playing and interpretations, although he keeps the reins in for the "Rackokzy March", but the music is racous enough without going "over the top."

Over 70 minutes of music for under $5.00, well recorded and played. Recommended.

Great Love Scene - Where's the Whole Work?.......2004-06-27

I agree with the reviewer below that neither the Fantastique nor the Faust selection is among the best, but Giulini's Scene d'Amour is breathtakingly beautiful. The man (well, the men, Berlioz and Giulini) really understood the passion and desperation of first love. Why in the world did EMI reissue Muti's boring entire performance of Romeo et Juliette while Giulini's languishes in the vaults? Jessye Norman maybe? Keep an eye out for a reissue of Giulini's complete recording, and get this if you don't have the Scene d'Amour; it's my favorite of the 7 that I have.

you get what you pay for.......2004-01-29

This recording of Symphonie Fantastique is full of pedestrian tempos and less-than enthustiastic playing. For a much superior recording, pick up the Philadelphia Orchestra recording with Muti conducting. That is a much better value, and the recording is still budget. The excerpts from Damnation of Faust are about the same. The sluggish tempo of the March destroys its effect and the Dance never really gets dancing. The Romeo & Juliet is by far the best portion of this CD and I don't really have any particular complaints about it. If you want to pay four bucks for a good recording of the Love Scene from Romeo and Juliet, this is your chance. Aside from that, look elsewhere.

Great Music At Any Price!.......2003-05-28

The original EMI Seraphim budget CD line has to be the greatest value for the money in the history of music. For half the price of other so-called budget lines, including the new version of EMI Seraphim and the Sony Essential Classics series, you get first-rate performances from the golden age of stereo by some of the greatest conductors of the century. On this particular title you get a brilliant Berlioz "Symphonie Fantastique" by Andre Cluytens. Sure it was a crowded field when Cluytens' version was first released in the late 50s, but it turns out that this was when the great performances of the century were made. The recordings by Munch, Paray, van Beinum, Markevitch, Beecham, Argenta and Cluytens are still referred to as among the best recordings nearly fifty years later. For my money the only decent Fantastique after the 1960s is by Colin Davis. But we're not done yet, because on this disc you also get beautifully played excerpts from "Romeo and Juliet" and "La Damnation de Faust" by Giulini and Barbirolli respectively. With all that great music, you've got a classic disc at any price.

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique; Love Scene from 'Romeo et Juliette' [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Not sure about the SACD pressing
A delicate. lyrical performance
A great beginning for Paavo Jarvi

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique; Love Scene from 'Romeo et Juliette' [Hybrid SACD]
Paavo Jarvi
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005NSXH
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Tracks:

Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: Reveries, Passions
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: Un Ball
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: Scene aux champs
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: Marche au supplice
Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14: Songe d'une nuit du sabbat
Romeo et Juliette: Love scene

Customer Reviews:

Not sure about the SACD pressing.......2003-06-14

I agree with the other reviews that the performance is a fine one.

The SACD pressing, however, is not that impressive. It is recorded at a considerably lower volume than the analog version. As a result, the final 2 movements which often are used to demo audio system capability sound pale. Take the same hybrid disk and play it on a regular CD player and it blossoms.

A delicate. lyrical performance.......2003-06-02

I think of this symphony as glorious, loud, fast, etc. but this recording reminded me how delicate this music can be. After all poor Berlioz was in the clutches of unrequited love so there is much sadness and wistfulness in the music. I thought the performance was consistent throughout with beautiful and well balanced playing by the musicians. When it's time to let loose they certainly do but the magic is often in the quiet passages.

A great beginning for Paavo Jarvi.......2002-01-26

A most enjoyable and stylish performance of the Symphonie and excerpt from Romeo & Juliette. The Cincinnati Symphony sounds marvelous under their new conductor. The multi-channel SACD sound is terrific.

Average customer rating:

A sequence of gems

Munch Conducts Berlioz

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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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

Average customer rating:

tubadude
Gene Pokorny=Pimp
A must for the serious orchestral tuba player!!!

Orchestral Excerpts for Tuba

Manufacturer: Summit(Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000038JE
Release Date: 1996-03-12

Tracks:

Intro
Con for Orch
Hungarian March
Romeo et Juliet
Symphonic Fantastique
Symphony No. 7
An American in Paris
Symphonic Metamorphosis
The Planets
SympNo. 1
Sym No. 5
SymNo. 6
Pictures at an Exhibition
Romeo and Juliet
Sym No. 5
Fountains of Rome
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Ein Heldenleben
Til Eulenspiegel
Petrouchka
Ein Faust Ov
Prelude Act III, Lohengrin
Die Meistersinger
Ride of the Valkyries

Customer Reviews:

tubadude.......2004-12-29

AMAZING
i did not purchase this from amazon, but rather on a recent trip to new york city, to see the new york philharmonic, after which i got
inspired to be better and then saw this cd, and bought it.
Wow, this is worth every cent! hearing how it "should" sound is immensely helpfull, and the advice with each track is outstanding.
A must-have for anyone considering a serious career in tuba!

Gene Pokorny=Pimp.......2000-03-31

This man is an awesome musician. The spoken commentary is a bit bland, but still informative. Plus he totally tears these excerpts apart and it is fun to try to play along.

A must for the serious orchestral tuba player!!!.......1999-01-10

Mr. Pokorny has created a superior CD of orchestral tuba parts. His spoken comments are insightful and his playing is top notch. As a prospective orchestral tuba player, I have found this CD extremely helpful in my preparation for orchestral auditions. This is a must for the serious tuba player!!!

Customer Reviews:

Good Boxed Berlioz....especially for the price.......2003-09-03

This is a banner year for Berlioz fanatics. The Bicentennial of the composer's birth is brings new performances of his work out of mothballs. There hasn't been such a buzz about the composer since the late 60s Berlioz "revival" led by Colin Davis. Even the Metropolitan Opera is getting in on the act...with a new production of Les Troyens last season and the Met premiere of Benvenuto Cellini later this season. For those of us who love the composer, this is the best news possible.

As part of this Bicentennial celebration, Brilliant Classics has re-released recordings of most of the major non-operatic Berlioz pieces as recorded by Eliahu Inbal and the Radio Symphony of Frankfurt. These are good solid performances...not innovative or groundbreaking. But at the boxed set price, you can't beat them. It's a laughably cheap way to collect so many great works by this French master.

The CD includes good solid performances of Berlioz staples, Symphonie Fantastique and Harold in Italy. Inbal emphasizes Berlioz' energy and almost classical sense of balance. This is not a Symphony Fantastique to wow you with it's sonic brilliance, but it is a good solid reading of the work. Likewise, the Harold is beautifully played, if not overly exciting. In Inbal's hands Berlioz' instrumental works resemble nothing so much as Mendelsohn, a comparison that I don't believe is as far fetched as it may at first sound.

The CD also includes most of the composer's other large works. The Romeo and Juliet is beautiful. The singers, while not first rate, are more than up to the job and the interpretation is well balanced between surging romanticism and classical formalism. Inbal gets just the right tension here in this work. You can hear the future traces of Wagner in the work, and yet it is not so very far from it's Beethovenian roots. The Damnation of Faust is also a solid performance, and if I don't like it quite as much as the Colin Davis version, it is mostly because of the lesser quality of the singing. Try as he might, Denys Guylas just can't match Nicolai Gedda in tone, lyricism and sheer ecstasy. The bos includes a charming rendition of Berlioz' most charming work, L'Enfance du Christ. This piece is light, lyrical, and should be more of a Christmas staple than it is. The set is also rounded out by a good reading of the Berlioz Requiem and a brilliant reading of the Te Deum.

None of the performances here could be considered classic or definitive, but they are all good. There is not a bad not or a noticeably weak singer in the set, balances are well maintained in the orchestra and the orchestral sound, particularly of the strings, is quite seductive. The main advantage of this collection is price. This set is particularly recommended to those who don't have much of this repertoire in their collections. Never has so much high quality Berlioz been available to so many for so few. Do yourself a favor and celebrate this marvelous composer's Bicentennial with this boxed set. And while you are at it, pick up the Colin Davis boxed set of the operas on Phillips....again, for about 60 dollars, you can own definitive performances of Benvenuto Cellini, Beatrice and Benedict AND Les Troyens. With both CDs you can listen to Berlioz until you can stand it no more....which in my own case, is a long, LONG time.

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The Definitive Collection