Berlioz: Harold In Italy

Hector Berlioz (Artist), Daniel Barenboim (Artist), Eugene Ormandy (Artist), Paris Orchestra (Artist), Philadelphia Orchestra (Artist), Joseph DePasquale (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 1993)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000028WU
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #153,905 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), symphony for viola & orchestra, H. 68 (Op. 16): Harold in the Mountains

2. Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), symphony for viola & orchestra, H. 68 (Op. 16): March of the Pilgrims

3. Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), symphony for viola & orchestra, H. 68 (Op. 16): Serenade

4. Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), symphony for viola & orchestra, H. 68 (Op. 16): Orgy of the Brigands

5. La Damnation de Faust, for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, chorus and orchestra, ('légende dramatique') H. 111 (Op. 24): No 1:

6. La Damnation de Faust, for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, chorus and orchestra, ('légende dramatique') H. 111 (Op. 24): No 2:

7. La Damnation de Faust, for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, chorus and orchestra, ('légende dramatique') H. 111 (Op. 24): No 3:

8. Les Troyens, opera, H. 133a: Marche Troyenne

9. Les Troyens, opera, H. 133a: Royal Hunt And Storm

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Harold in Italy is a symphony with a prominent solo viola part. It was composed for and commissioned by Paganini, who never played it because the viola solos weren't flashy enough for him (Harold actually takes poison and dies in the finale, leaving the orchestra to finish without him). Though disappointed, Berlioz was mollified by the fact that Paganini paid him anyway. It's since become the composer's most frequently performed large orchestral work, first because there's so little good music for solo viola, and second because it's well within the financial resources of most orchestras, the instrumentation being substantial but not ridiculous. This budget-priced performance is both loving and expert, while the couplings are well-chosen. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sony's Got "Harold" Cornered!, August 17, 2000

By	Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Sony Classical has the "Harold In Italy" market cornered. This recording by Ormandy/Philadelphia, along with the "Bernstein Century" version, are no question the best available on CD. I personally find the Bernstein a notch ahead because I love the dramatic readings he brings to most of his recordings. With that being said, there are several reasons why many should opt for this one nonetheless. First, the price can't be beat -- only eight dollars! Second, you get more music here. On the Bernstein Century you get one extra piece, "La Mort de Cleopatre," where as here you get two, excerpts from both "La Damnation de Faust" and "Les Troyens." Finally, the "Les Troyens" excerpts are performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Charles Munch's leadership. Munch is one of the truly great intepreters of Berlioz, and his recording of "Symphonie Fantastique" on RCA Living Stereo is the quintessential version. In all, you just can't go wrong with this purchase.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hero in a world of thieves, July 31, 2003

By	Jacques COULARDEAU "A soul doctor, so to say" (OLLIERGUES France) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In 1833, Berlioz joins the mythical and poetical character of Childe Harold, developed by Lord Byron, to his own recollections of Italy and to his vision of a world of strife, struggle and love. But he uses his music to create atmosphere and character. So Harold becomes the viola and the viola gives Harold a depth and a liveliness that no other instrument could, an instrument both very flexible and gathering some male accents from its dense and reverberating qualities.
Berlioz transforms the symphony into a story, an adventure, an epic going beyond all that had been done before him, particularly by Beethoven, to reach a level of pure dramatic story telling and saga singing. He thus also goes back to old human practices. That of telling the myths that have shaped humanity and history. That too of imagining the power of a character, a hero that transforms and influences the course of historical events. The symphony joins thus both an epic myth and a poetic vision. It aims at embodying the desire of the composer to change the world and his fear or even utter awe in front of a world that is not able to change fast enough. And here the viola becomes Berlioz himself, Harold is Berlioz, Berlioz is Byron, Berlioz's music is Byron's poetical harmony. This music willfully takes part in the building of modern man's conscience, the conscience of the modern world, of the new age emerging from history. The pilgrims are henceforth the artists and their creations walking in a world of thieves and yet aiming at dragging this world to a higher stage of civilization. Berlioz is a progressive moralist of human change.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hero in a world of thieves, July 31, 2003

By	Jacques COULARDEAU "A soul doctor, so to say" (OLLIERGUES France) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In 1833, Berlioz joins the mythical and poetical character of Childe Harold, developed by Lord Byron, to his own recollections of Italy and to his vision of a world of strife, struggle and love. But he uses his music to create atmosphere and character. So Harold becomes the viola and the viola gives Harold a depth and a liveliness that no other instrument could, an instrument both very flexible and gathering some male accents from its dense and reverberating qualities.
Berlioz transforms the symphony into a story, an adventure, an epic going beyond all that had been done before him, particularly by Beethoven, to reach a level of pure dramatic story telling and saga singing. He thus also goes back to old human practices. That of telling the myths that have shaped humanity and history. That too of imagining the power of a character, a hero that transforms and influences the course of historical events. The symphony joins thus both an epic myth and a poetic vision. It aims at embodying the desire of the composer to change the world and his fear or even utter awe in front of a world that is not able to change fast enough. And here the viola becomes Berlioz himself, Harold is Berlioz, Berlioz is Byron, Berlioz's music is Byron's poetical harmony. This music willfully takes part in the building of modern man's conscience, the conscience of the modern world, of the new age emerging from history. The pilgrims are henceforth the artists and their creations walking in a world of thieves and yet aiming at dragging this world to a higher stage of civilization. Berlioz is a progressive moralist of human change.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan