# Ranking favorite Berlioz Works



## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

I've noticed this forum has a slight shortage in Berlioz threads and as a person who is just beginning to get into him I'd like to know how some of you people would rank your favorite works of his. Maybe a top 5 or even 10 if you wanted. If you only are familiar with a couple, tell me what you think of those. For me personally at this moment in time, I only know Symphonie Fantastique, Harold in Italy and in the early stages of getting to know Les Troyens.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I like his Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale a lot. The song cycle Les nuits d'été as well.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Les Troyens is Berlioz' great masterpiece. It is on the scale of and equal in musical inspiration to Wagner's Gotterdämmerung.


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Berlioz is certainly one of my favourite composers so I could probably manage a top 10:

1) Symphonie Fantastique 

2) Les Troyens

3) Grande Messe des morts

4) Les nuits d'été 

5) Harold en Italie

6) Le carnaval romain ("Roman Carnival Overture." Actually all of Berlioz's overtures are pretty interesting. It is surprising how few purely instrumental works Berlioz has, given how highly he is regarded as an orchestral composer. So these overtures are like the symphonies that could have been!)

7) L'enfance du Christ (a Christmassy oratorio, including the celebrated "L'adieu des bergers.")

8) La damnation de Faust

9) Roméo et Juliette

10) La mort de Cléopâtre (The most interesting of his "Prix de Rome" cantatas! No first prize awarded, haha.) 

honourable mention: Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale (Another novel approach to the symphony. I don't care too much for the first two movements but the finale as an absolute spectacle to behold).

...of course Berlioz has a relatively small number of works so any top 10 list will inevitably cover most of them!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Here's an entertaining article about Terry Gilliam (yes, the Monty Python one) staging Benvenuto Cellini.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/03/terry-gilliam-opera-diary-benvenuto-cellini-berlioz-eno


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

I personally most like Les Nuits d'Ete, but I like all of the above. Let me give a nod to the Overture to Beatrice at Benedick, which I love as a small-scale work. (An old BSO/Munch disc of the overtures made them collectively sound like Berlioz' greatest achievement!)


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Another great work by Berlioz you might want to check out, including the ones already mentioned, is _Te Deum_. This is one of the pieces that made me a Berlioz fan.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Winterreisender said:


> Berlioz is certainly one of my favourite composers so I could probably manage a top 10:
> 
> 1) Symphonie Fantastique
> 
> ...


Your "honorable mention" would've been my #2!


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

"Romeo & Juliet", sporadically "Les Nuits d´Ete" & "Symphonie Fantastique".


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

hpowders said:


> Les Troyens is Berlioz' great masterpiece. It is on the scale of and equal in musical inspiration to Wagner's Gotterdämmerung.


.........................


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

science said:


> Your "honorable mention" would've been my #2!


Perhaps I should at least swap my #10 with my honourable mention! The "Grand Funeral and Triumphal Symphony" is indeed a startlingly original work, as are all of Berlioz's symphonies: the first symphony is more of a symphonic poem, the second symphony a concerto, the third symphony a cantata... and the fourth symphony a great funeral oration for wind band? Always one to surprise his audiences, I suppose.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Itullian said:


> .........................


I share your scepticism regarding what hpowders wrote, we all know that Les Troyens surpass Gotterdämmerung in inspiration by miles.


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

No-one has mentioned Tristia yet. Great little work.

My fave will always be the Grand Messe des Morts though. It is pants-wettingly good. Such power and majesty, and such beauty and delicacy. Viva Hector!!


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I have to say, the few times I listened to Grand Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale I found it quite weird. It sounds like it's trying to be majestic but the prominent clarinet choir (with an e-flat clarinet no less) seems to ruin the intended mood. Or maybe Berlioz intended the clarinets to ruin the false intended mood. 

Anyway, that's one I need to keep listening to.


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

violadude said:


> I have to say, the few times I listened to Grand Messe Des Morts I found it quite weird. It sounds like it's trying to be majestic but the prominent clarinet choir (with an e-flat clarinet no less) seems to ruin the intended mood. Or maybe Berlioz intended the clarinets to ruin the false intended mood.
> 
> Anyway, that's one I need to keep listening to.


Some of the orchestration is pretty unique and takes time to get used to. Like the immense use of massed timpani in the Dies Irae. And there's a flute duetting with a trombone somewhere or other.
This performance is brilliant and the acoustics are perfect for the work, if you are looking to try it again.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

MagneticGhost said:


> Some of the orchestration is pretty unique and takes time to get used to. Like the immense use of massed timpani in the Dies Irae. And there's a flute duetting with a trombone somewhere or other.
> This performance is brilliant and the acoustics are perfect for the work, if you are looking to try it again.
> 
> View attachment 43677


Oh wait...

Sorry, I actually didn't mean that piece. I got the names confused. I actually love the mass as much as you do.

I MEANT to say the Trimphale March whatever.

Freakin French names.

Hopefully my post makes more sense now.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

MagneticGhost said:


> No-one has mentioned Tristia yet. Great little work.
> 
> My fave will always be the Grand Messe des Morts though. It is pants-wettingly good. Such power and majesty, and such beauty and delicacy. Viva Hector!!


What's the most powerful performance you've heard of it?


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

Marschallin Blair said:


> What's the most powerful performance you've heard of it?


I refer the honourable member to the post I made a short while ago :tiphat:









edit - actually that picture tells you nothing = it is Paul McCreesh - Signum - Gabrieli Consort and Players etc.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

MagneticGhost said:


> I refer the honourable member to the post I made a short while ago :tiphat:
> 
> View attachment 43678
> 
> ...


--
Awesome. I'll check it out.

I've kind of fell hard for Berlioz lately. I've been playing the hell out of_ Troyens_; both Colin Davis incarnations in particular.


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

Marschallin Blair said:


> --
> Awesome. I'll check it out.
> 
> I've kind of fell hard for Berlioz lately. I've been playing the hell out of_ Troyens_; both Colin Davis incarnations in particular.


Here's a review from AllMusic just to corroborate my opinion 



> Paul McCreesh is one of the leading figures in the movement for historically informed performances, and he established his reputation primarily in Renaissance and Baroque music. Yet he is versatile and noted for his varied interests, and he has delved into the Romantic repertoire for this spectacular 2010 recording with Ensemble Wroclaw of Hector Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts. The immense forces required to perform this masterwork include the Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, the Gabrieli Consort and Players, the Chetham's School of Music Symphonic Brass Ensemble, along with tenor Robert Murray and assistant conductor Benjamin Bayl, and they produce the wide range of colors and effects that Berlioz wanted. The famous Tuba mirum of the Dies irae -- notable for its deployment of the choir, an enlarged orchestra, four brass bands stationed around the auditorium, and multiple timpani, bass drums, cymbals, and tam-tams -- is certainly a high point in any recording of the Requiem, and the combined ensembles deliver a stunning Last Judgment scene that rivals any that came before it. But the bulk of Berlioz's music is reflective and quiet, and McCreesh and his musicians demonstrate a spiritual depth and vast calmness that make this Requiem a profoundly meditative and moving experience. Signum's sound is spacious and resonant, which adds to the majesty and the mystery of the music.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

hpowders said:


> Les Troyens is Berlioz' great masterpiece. It is on the scale of and equal in musical inspiration to Wagner's Gotterdämmerung.


I agree. I also think Le Damnation de Faust ranks up there.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

> MagneticGhost: Here's a review from AllMusic just to corroborate my opinion


Sustained.

Doubly and trebly so.

- I can't wait to hear it.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

dholling said:


> I agree. I also think Le Damnation de Faust ranks up there.


Yes. It is also quite good.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

hpowders said:


> Yes. It is also quite good.


It's excellent. Too bad France was too snobbish at that time to really realize Berlioz's genius. That poor guy really had a hard time getting appreciated (at least the Russians, like Balakirev, "got it"). He was truly ahead of the times.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

dholling said:


> It's excellent. Too bad France was too snobbish at that time to really realize Berlioz's genius. That poor guy really had a hard time getting appreciated (at least the Russians, like Balakirev, "got it"). He was truly ahead of the times.


He was _waaaaaaaaay_ ahead of the power curve. Brahms may have hit the target others couldn't reach; but Berlioz hit the target people couldn't even see.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Marschallin Blair said:


> He was _waaaaaaaaay_ ahead of the power curve. Brahms may have hit the target others couldn't reach; but Berlioz hit the target people couldn't even see.


I agree, totally. And imagine that it took Sir Colin Davis to really spark our interests in Berlioz, and it was after the 1960s.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Les Troyens is Berlioz' great masterpiece. It is on the scale of and *equal in musical inspiration *to Wagner's Gotterdämmerung.


You and I are in danger of falling out (not really, I hope)

I think it exceeds it in musical inspiration - it has much more variety of forms within it (and better orchestration though I could not demonstarte that convincingly on my own)


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Yes. It is also *quite *good.


I hadn't spotted this damnation by faint praise before my last post

Quite good???? Quite!!!!

I might use 'quite good' as a polite way of saying to a novice _"its not awful, but it isn't actually very insightful or knowledgeable and what has saved you from a more accurate evaluation is that you are young and inexperienced. Take heart and carry on trying hard and eventually you may come up with something that is worthwhile."_

Quite good, indeed :scold:


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

dholling said:


> I agree, totally. And imagine that it took Sir Colin Davis to really spark our interests in Berlioz, and it was after the 1960s.


Beecham had a pretty good try decades before that as well


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

dholling said:


> I agree, totally. And imagine that it took Sir Colin Davis to really spark our interests in Berlioz, and it was after the 1960s.


Sir Colin should have a twenty-foot bronze statue of him for his work on _Troyens_ alone.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Headphone Hermit said:


> Beecham had a pretty good try decades before that as well


I've never heard Beecham's Berlioz. What's it like? I like my Berlioz strong, wild, and passionate, myself.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Headphone Hermit said:


> You and I are in danger of falling out (not really, I hope)
> 
> I think it exceeds it in musical inspiration - it has much more variety of forms within it (and better orchestration though I could not demonstarte that convincingly on my own)


I don't get my panties in a wad over rankings. There's room at my banquet table for all geniuses.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Marschallin Blair said:


> Sir Colin should have a twenty-foot bronze statue of him for his work on _Troyens_ alone.


Agreed. But where?

It could go in my front garden ..... oh, hang on, Mrs Hermit might not be that keen


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Marschallin Blair said:


> I've never heard Beecham's Berlioz. What's it like? I like my Berlioz strong, wild, and passionate, myself.


I recommended that you listen to Davis' version(s) of Les Troyens ... and you weren't disappointed

Beecham was one of the titans of Berlioz' music, a genius with insight, passion and feeling. You can VERY safely rely on Beecham when it comes to Berlioz (as indeed, when it comes to much, much more!).

Eight minutes of Le Corsaire on you tube (



) will wet your appetite .... actually 90 seonds should be enough!


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Headphone Hermit said:


> Agreed. But where?
> 
> It could go in my front garden ..... oh, hang on, Mrs Hermit might not be that keen


-- Center stage, right in front of Simon; on American Idol.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Simon Cowell???

put him *underneath* a twenty-foot tall bronze statue would be a better idea, surely?


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Headphone Hermit said:


> I recommended that you listen to Davis' version(s) of Les Troyens ... and you weren't disappointed
> 
> Beecham was one of the titans of Berlioz' music, a genius with insight, passion and feeling. You can VERY safely rely on Beecham when it comes to Berlioz (as indeed, when it comes to much, much more!).
> 
> ...


I like it. It's good. . . the sound? Ummmm. . . The Paray/Detriot and the Levine/BPO have every bit as charged a reading but with better sound. . . Thank you for the link.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Headphone Hermit said:


> Simon Cowell???
> 
> put him *underneath* a twenty-foot tall bronze statue would be a better idea, surely?


I'd call it a 'nice start.' Cheers. _;D_


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Headphone Hermit said:


> Beecham had a pretty good try decades before that as well


I forgot about Beecham's role in promoting Berlioz (I do remember his "Tales of Hoffmann" recording quite fondly).


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Headphone Hermit said:


> I recommended that you listen to Davis' version(s) of Les Troyens ... and you weren't disappointed
> 
> Beecham was one of the titans of Berlioz' music, a genius with insight, passion and feeling. You can VERY safely rely on Beecham when it comes to Berlioz (as indeed, when it comes to much, much more!).
> 
> ...


Colin Davis' "Les Troyens" is superb, but so is Dutoit's Decca recording (in a number of ways, rather revelatory).


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2014)

Not to be the nitpicker, again, or anything, but this "four brass bands stationed around the auditorium" is wrong.

The four brass groups are to be stationed around the stage.

Otherwise, to make a genuine contribution to the thread: _Benvenuto Cellini._


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Marschallin Blair said:


> I like it. It's good. . . the sound? Ummmm. . . The Paray/Detriot and the Levine/BPO have every bit as charged a reading but with better sound. . . Thank you for the link.


Ah, yes, the sound on *that* excerpt is rough-ish, but it was a live recording (and might even be a pirate take???) - fortunately there are plenty of excellent studio recordings by Beecham, most obviously on the EMI label. I was in a rush (at work - gulp) and didn't spend sufficient time locating exemplary recordings in terms of both interpretation and sound quality - przepraszam!


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

Appreciate all the great comments and suggestions. I gave his Grande Messe des morts my first listen today. The Colin Davis one. Even on my first listen I enjoyed it pretty thoroughly. It's definitely a gigantic piece, sprawling over 90 minutes, so it will take a long, long time to learn its intricacies. The more I listen to Berlioz the more I have come to treasure his wonderful orchestration. I know he is famous for his innovation there, but before listening to him I didn't place a lot of focus on appreciating the orchestration and tone colors. I'd heard Debussy and I know he is another innovator in that area but Berlioz's musical content is MUCH more up my alley.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Faust by Nagano
Lelio by Boulez


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

It's hard for me to rank Berlioz's works. I love all of them.

I can say that the first Berlioz composition that completely blew my mind was _Roméo et Juliette_. So maybe I'd put that one first?

By the way, the recording was Colin Davis' first Philips set, the one with the Patricia Kern, Robert Tear, John Shirley-Quirk & the LSO.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My rankings from 1 to 5:

1. Les Troyens

2. Les Troyens

3. Les Troyens

4. Les Troyens

5. Les Troyens


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

hpowders said:


> My rankings from 1 to 5:
> 
> 1. Les Troyens
> 
> ...


Agreed! We can only thank him for making it 9 hours long or however long it is haha.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Dustin said:


> Agreed! We can only thank him for making it 9 hours long or however long it is haha.


I may change Ein Heldenleben to the Trojan March as my entrance to the house theme music!!

Or maybe Jackie Gleason's "traveling music"!!


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Harold in Italy is one of my favorite orchestral works of all time.


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)

Berlioz, one of my favourite composers. My current top 5:

1. Requiem.
2. La Damnation de Faust.
3. Romeo et Juliette.
4. Tristia.
5. Symphone Fantastique.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I have only heard his Symphonie Fantastique which I really loved and parts of Les Troyens which was awesome. Damnation of Faust is next on my list to hear.


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## Nicolas from France (5 mo ago)

1 - The ouvertures ''Les francs-juges" and 'King Lear"

2- Romeo and Juliet

3- Requiem

4- L'enfance du Christ

5- Te Deum


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

1. La Damnation de Faust
2. Requiem
3. Symphonie Fantastique
4. Harold en Italie
5. Les Nuits d'Été
6. Romeo et Juliette
7. Le Carnaval Romain


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Top tier:
Les Troyes
Requiem
La Damnation de Faust
Les Nuits d'Ete

Good:
Symphonie Fantastique
Harold in Italy
Romeo et Juliette
Beatrice et Benedict

OK:
Te Deum
L'enfance du Christ

The only major work of his I have yet to hear is Benvenuto Cellini.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

^^How about _Messe solennelle?_


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Becca said:


> ^^How about _Messe solennelle?_


Hmm, first time I've heard of that one! Thanks for the tip.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Berlioz is one of my favorite composers, and I rate him higher than Ravel or Debussy at the moment. My top five works by him today would be:

1. Les Troyens
2. Te Deum
3. Requiem
4. L'Enfance Du Christ
5. Grande Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

La Damnation de Faust
Romeo & Juliet
Symphonie Fantastique

I couldn't get into the sacred music (boooooring, I made it once through the Requiem on CD, not sure if I ever listened to the whole "Enfance du Christ") and would have to try again Les Troyens (of the other operas I have only heard ouvertures). I also only realized a few weeks ago when it was mentioned in the forum that I probably never heard the Symphonie Funebre et triomphale.
For me Berlioz is a very uneven composer. Overly ambitious and even partial successes like R&J have incredibly great music but also lots of stuff that peters out in a merely pleasant fashion after a good start (like "Harold in Italy", IMO downhill after the intro and statement of the main theme in the first movement).


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Hmm, first time I've heard of that one! Thanks for the tip.


It's an early work which was lost until the 1990s. Despite 'early', it has all the earmarks of mature Berlioz


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