# 100 Favorites: # 13



## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

*Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette
Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Patricia Kern (contralto), Robert Tear (tenor), John Shirley-Quirk (bass) (Philips)*










No less an authority than Arturo Toscanini said that the Love Scene music from Berlioz's _Roméo et Juliette_ was "the most beautiful music in the world." I couldn't agree more. There's nothing else like it -- and not just the Love Scene music. The entire composition is inspired, luminous, magical. I think the work would be MUCH more well-known -- right there with Berlioz's _Symphonie fantastique_ -- if it weren't so unconventional. Requiring three vocal soloists, it's neither fish nor fowl, neither a symphony nor an opera. Berlioz called it a "Dramatic Symphony."

I like Charles Munch's 1963 recording, but this Colin Davis performance is on an entirely different level. It's something special. I love the classical poise and transparency that Davis brings to this music. Everything seems to float. There's a vitality and an other-worldly joyousness that shines through. I can't imagine a better performance.


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