Hector Berlioz
Born: 11th December 1803, La Cote Saint Andre, France
Died: 8th March 1869, Paris
Nationality: French
Louis-Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the Symphonie fantastique and Harold in Italy, choral pieces including the Requiem and L'Enfance du Christ, his three operas Benvenuto Cellini, Les Troyens and Béatrice et Bénédict, and works of hybrid genres such as the "dramatic symphony" Roméo et Juliette and the "dramatic legend" La Damnation de Faust.
The elder son of a provincial physician, Berlioz was expected to follow his father into medicine, and he attended a Parisian medical college before defying his family by taking up music as a profession. His independence of mind and refusal to follow traditional rules and formulas put him at odds with the conservative musical establishment of Paris. He briefly moderated his style sufficiently to win France's premier music prize – the Prix de Rome – in 1830, but he learned little from the academics of the Paris Conservatoire.
Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Berlioz
Browse: Berlioz
Further Reading: Berlioz
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Klaus Mäkelä conducts Berlioz and Ravel
6th Jun 2025
The Finnish conductor and the Orchestre de Paris present an incredibly colourful and terrifying reading of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique alongside a riotously chaotic account of Ravel's La valse.
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Berlioz's Les nuits d'été & Harold en Italie from John Nelson in Strasbourg
18th Nov 2022
Vocal shape-shifter Michael Spyres tackles the song-cycle in the original orchestral keys, whilst viola-player Timothy Ridout is a warmly collegiate soloist in Harold on this clear-eyed, affectionate recording from Strasbourg.
Popular Genres: Berlioz
Popular Works: Berlioz
- Ballet des Sylphes (from La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24) (26)
- Béatrice et Bénédict, Op. 27: Overture (46)
- Benvenuto Cellini (13)
- Benvenuto Cellini Overture (57)
- Chasse royale et Orage (from Les Troyens) (24)
- Cléopâtre - Scène lyrique, H36 (38)
- D'amour l'ardente flamme (from La Damnation de Faust) (18)
- Devant la maison (from La Damnation de Faust) (12)
- Grande Messe des Morts, Op. 5 (Requiem) (72)
- Grande Symphonie funèbre et triomphale, Op. 15 (15)
- Harold en Italie, Op. 16 (87)
- Herminie - Scène lyrique, H29 (11)
- King Lear Overture, Op. 4 (35)
- L'Enfance du Christ, Op. 25 (23)
- L'Enfance du Christ, Op. 25 - L'Adieu des bergers (34)
- La belle voyageuse (11)
- La captive, Op. 12 (21)
- La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24 (35)
- La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24: Nature immense, impénétrable et fière (12)
- La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24: Rákóczi March (64)
- La Mort d’Ophélie (19)
- Le carnaval romain Overture, Op. 9 (184)
- Le Corsaire Overture, Op. 21 (82)
- Le Jeune Pâtre Breton, Op. 13 No. 4 (16)
- Lélio, ou Le Retour a la vie (19)
- Les Francs-juges Overture, Op. 3 (42)
- Les Nuits d'été, Op. 7 (93)
- Les Troyens (20)
- Menuet des Follets (from La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24) (17)
- Merci, doux crépuscule! (from La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24) (11)
- Reverie et Caprice, Op. 8 (28)
- Rob Roy Overture (17)
- Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17 (41)
- Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17: Love Scene (20)
- Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 (355)
- Te Deum, Op. 22 (16)
- Tristia, Op. 18 (13)
- Villanelle (from Les nuits d'été, Op. 7) (12)
- Waverley Overture Op. 1 (20)
- Zaïde Op. 19 No. 1 (11)
Recent Best Sellers: Berlioz
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Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
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Building a Library, October 2011, First Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, May 2001, Editor's Choice
CD: $11.00Download from $9.50 -
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Special offer. Si J’ai Aimé
Sandrine Piau (soprano) Le Concert de la Loge, Julien Chauvin
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Presto Editor's Choice, May 2019
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Diapason d’Or, June 2019
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BBC Music Magazine, August 2019, Choral & Song Choice
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2019
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International Classical Music Awards, 2019, Nominee - Vocal
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Gramophone Magazine, December 2019, Critics' Choice
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Presto Recording of the Week, 20th December 2019
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2020, Finalist - Vocal
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Gramophone Awards, 2020, Winner - Recital
CD: Original price $20.50 Reduced $14.35Download from $6.50 -
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Berlioz: L'enfance du Christ
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Andrew Davis
2 SACDs: $20.25Download from $20.00 -
New. Bruno Walter: The Complete Warner Remastered Edition
Bruno Walter
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Diapason, September 2026, Réédition
20 CDs: Original price $93.25 Reduced $83.92 -
New Releases: Berlioz
View all new releases-
New. Bruno Walter: The Complete Warner Remastered Edition
Bruno Walter
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Diapason, September 2026, Réédition
20 CDs: Original price $93.25 Reduced $83.92 -
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New. Bernard Haitink – Berlin, Vienna, Boston: Complete Recordings on Decca & Philips
Bernard Haitink
31 CDs: Original price $207.25 Reduced $155.43 -
New. Mitropoulos conducts Symphonie fantastique
New York Philharmonic, Dimitri Mitropoulos
Download from $10.00 -
New. Orchestral Halloween
Salzburg Mozarteum Chorus, Kurt Prestel (piano), Joseph Fuchs (violin), North German Symphony Orchestra, AmorArtis Orchestra, Quartetto Cassoviae (stringquartet), Milan Cervenák (cello), Juraj Sarissky (viola), Milan Kyjovsky (violin), Stefan Demeter (violin), Jenö Jandó (piano), Fine Arts Quartet (stringquartet), James E. Stith (baritone), Natale de Carolis (baritone), Yulian Konstantinov (bassguitar), Christiane Hossfeld (soprano), Michel Sénéchal (tenor), Berliner Symphoniker, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Pro Musica Orchestra Vienna, Orlando Pops Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Amor Artis Chorus, Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Elisabeth Brasseur Choir, Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux, London Philharmonia Orchestra, Kurt Woss, Libor Pešek, Vernon Handley, Hugo Rignold, Eugene Goossens, Wilhelm Schüchter, Ferdinand Roth, Andrew Lane, András Ligeti, Leopold Stokowski, Johannes Somary, Dimiter Dimitrov, Igor Markevitch, Alfred Scholz
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Future Releases: Berlioz
View all future releases-
Coming soon. Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (Pure Analogue)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Colin Davis
Vinyl Record: $59.25 -
Coming soon. Mergers and Acquisitions, Vol. 2
Commonwealth University of PA - Mansfield Concert Wind Ensemble, Drew Wolgemuth (soloist), Jeremy Jacobus (soloist), Adam F. Brennan
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Coming soon. Berlioz: Harold en Italie, Op. 16 & La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24 - Le Carnavai romain, Op. 9
William Primrose (viola), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky
Download from $10.00
