# Berlioz: Roméo Et Juliette



## silentio

IMO a much better work than _Symphonie Fantastique _and _Harold en Italie_. I have listened to the recordings of Toscanini, Monteux and Davis. All are impressive, but I still feel like something is missing.

What do you think about this piece, and what are your favorite performances?


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## JACE

I love this piece! MAGNIFICENT music. 

My favorite recordings: 

- Colin Davis, LSO & Chorus, Patricia Kern, Robert Tear, John Shirley-Quirk (Philips)

- Charles Munch, BSO, New England Conservatory Chorus, Rosalind Elias, Cesare Valetti, Giorgio Tozzi (RCA)

Oldies but goodies.


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## Becca

One of my more magical concert experiences was attending a performance of Romeo et Juliette by the Boston Symphony and Seiji Ozawa in the music shed at Tanglewood on a very warm August evening. I have never cared much for Ozawa but that was a very special evening.


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## Bruce

*R&J*

I love it! For many years I'd had trouble enjoying vocal music, and this was one of the first works that I was able to listen to.

I agree with JACE; the Munch recording with Munch, the BSO and Elias & Co. is my own favorite. I have not heard the Davis recording, but have heard good things about it.


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## silentio

JACE said:


> I love this piece! MAGNIFICENT music.
> 
> My favorite recordings:
> 
> - Colin Davis, LSO & Chorus, Patricia Kern, Robert Tear, John Shirley-Quirk (Philips)
> 
> *- Charles Munch, BSO, New England Conservatory Chorus, Rosalind Elias, Cesare Valetti, Giorgio Tozzi (RCA)*
> 
> Oldies but goodies.


I heard Munch conducting Berlioz requiem. It's fantastic! As you listed out, the singers there are all my favorite, especially Elias. How is the sound quality?


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## Markbridge

Part two of the song, "Premiers transports que nul n'oublie" ("Heureux enfants aux coeurs de flamme"), is one the most beautiful songs ever written. _Romeo & Juliette_ has been a favorite of mine for many years, more than I would like to admit, I'm afraid.


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## JACE

silentio said:


> I heard Munch conducting Berlioz requiem. It's fantastic! As you listed out, the singers there are all my favorite, especially Elias. How is the sound quality?


The recording is very good, if not exceptional.

I believe it was recorded in 1961 or 1962. RCA was making some very recordings at that time.


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## hpowders

May I also suggest La Damnation de Faust? Far superior to the Symphonie Fantastique.


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## Triplets

JACE said:


> I love this piece! MAGNIFICENT music.
> 
> My favorite recordings:
> 
> - Colin Davis, LSO & Chorus, Patricia Kern, Robert Tear, John Shirley-Quirk (Philips)
> 
> - Charles Munch, BSO, New England Conservatory Chorus, Rosalind Elias, Cesare Valetti, Giorgio Tozzi (RCA)
> 
> Oldies but goodies.


 I really don't care for the Munch, which I think is somewhat slow and ponderous, but I listened to the Monteux recently and really enjoyed it. Charles Dutoit and Montreal had been my previous favorite.


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## Triplets

Becca said:


> One of my more magical concert experiences was attending a performance of Romeo et Juliette by the Boston Symphony and Seiji Ozawa in the music shed at Tanglewood on a very warm August evening. I have never cared much for Ozawa but that was a very special evening.


Out of curiousity, I wonder around what time that would have been. Ozawa's work in Boston became so mummified his last decade or so there.


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## Becca

Triplets said:


> Out of curiousity, I wonder around what time that would have been. Ozawa's work in Boston became so mummified his last decade or so there.


It must have been around 1975-76, so early in his tenure.


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## silentio

I just spent the past few days listening to whatever recordings of _Roméo Et Juliette_ available on Spotify. My ranking (for now) is:

1) Monteux: it seems that he got the most out of the drama and the lyricism. Regine Resnik is fantastic. Her singing is almost self-communing. 
2) Colin Davis
3) Munch: too slow
4) Muti: too dull, despite having great singers.

I love my own recording of Toscanini for its dramatic impulse too, but the sound quality is kinda off putting.

It's a shame that neither Furtwangler nor Mitropoulos attempted to conduct this masterpiece. I would love to hear how Furtwangler would drown us in _Scène d'amour_ as he did with the Tristan prelude, or how Mitropoulos would bring out Berliozian sophisticated, almost filmic, details as in _Les nuits d'été _.


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## WildThing

I have to say, I've had the Muti recording for sometime (mostly because it's paired with a lovely Les Nuits d'ete with John Barbirolli and Janet Baker) but I had never really been too impressed with the work. But recently I stumbled upon this site:

http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics3/romeo.html

So I decided to check out the Munch and the Monteux recordings, and man, what a revelation!  I'm not sure which one of the two I prefer, but I think it's interesting others found Munch too slow -- by my calculations his verison is 3 minutes faster overall than Monteux, haha. Anyways, I'm also quite curious to see how Boulez does with this music...has anyone heard his version?


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## Merl

I like this one a lot.


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## Pugg

WildThing said:


> I have to say, I've had the Muti recording for sometime (mostly because it's paired with a lovely Les Nuits d'ete with John Barbirolli and Janet Baker) but I had never really been too impressed with the work. But recently I stumbled upon this site:
> 
> http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics3/romeo.html
> 
> So I decided to check out the Munch and the Monteux recordings, and man, what a revelation!  I'm not sure which one of the two I prefer, but I think it's interesting others found Munch too slow -- by my calculations his verison is 3 minutes faster overall than Monteux, haha. Anyways, I'm also quite curious to see how Boulez does with this music...has anyone heard his version?


I do have the Muti too,must be the first release, no Nuits d'ete as "filling", I still like that version very much, Muti always brings something special to this kine of work. The soloist are great, better then the Monteux version with weak male voices.


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## TxllxT

I've got more than one Colin Davis recording of this work, but Charles Dutoit's rendering is as French as French can be. Yes, the woman soloist is the weaker spot, but the orchestra & choir & fabulous DECCA Montreal recording just do it.


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## Lisztian

One of my very favourite pieces of music.


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## EarthBoundRules

For a few years this was my favourite piece of classical music. The only parts that don't catch my interest are the 5th and 6th movements, but the rest is sublime.


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## Ralphus

Wonderful music. I only own Gardiner:


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## Chilham

I'd previously only listened to the Scène d'amour.










I just listened to the whole piece for the first time. What a delight!


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## ando

*hector berlioz romeo and juliet* (1962, rca/victor red seal)
*boston symphony orchestra, charles munch* 
rosalind elias, cesare valletti, giorgio tozzi
new england conservatory chorus


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