Berlioz / Luisi / Philharmonia Zurich - Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Recorded in 2010 during Riccardo Muti's first subscription concerts as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's tenth music director, this new double-CD pairs Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique with it's sequel, Lelio, ou le retour de la vie (Lelio, or The Return to Life). Berlioz intended Symphonie fantastique to be followed by Lelio in concert, as the artist returns to life to comment anew on music and art. Maestro Muti and the CSO are joined in Lelio by acclaimed actor Gerard Depardieu as the narrator, tenor Mario Zeffiri, bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen, and the Chicago Symphony Chorus.... to hear this pairing of works as Berlioz intended was fascinating. (New York Times) [T]he vivid, evocative and beautifully detailed performance the maestro elicited from his platoons of performers - including narrator, soloists and full Chorus, in magnificent voice - drew a thunderous ovation from the packed auditorium. (Chicago Tribune)

When Berlioz's revolutionary milestone is paired with ballet music by Toshiro Mayuzumi from 1962, unexpected similarities in sound, power and inspiration emerge. Andrea Battistoni conducts the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in this enigmatic performance

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Hector Berlioz's death, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and it's chief conductor Philippe Jordan dedicated a programmatic focus to the French composer in the 2018-19 season. In this context, in November 2018, Philippe Jordan presented the frequently performed Symphonie fantastique op. 14 in the Wiener Musikverein, and her rarely heard sister work Lélio ou Le retour à la vie op. 14b. The acclaimed concert experience now also appears as a live recording on the orchestra's own tag. Soloists include not only tenor Cyrille Dubois and baritone Florian Sempey, but also the acclaimed French bass Jean-Philippe Lafonte as narrator and the Singverein led by Johannes Prinz.