Berlioz: Choral Works
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Hector Berlioz
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Magazine Review Date: 11/1989
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 62
Catalogue Number: HMC90 1293
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (Le) Ballet des ombres |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Tristia, Movement: No. 2, La mort d'Ophélie |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Roméo et Juliette |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Hector Berlioz, Composer |
| Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Movement: Choeur d'ombres |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Movement: Chanson de brigands |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Movement: Fantaisie sur la Tempête de Shakespeare |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Sara la baigneuse |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (9) Mélodies, 'Irlande', Movement: Chanson à boire (ten, 4 male vv and pf) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Bruce Brewer, Tenor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (9) Mélodies, 'Irlande', Movement: Chant sacré (ten, 6vv and pf/orch) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Bruce Brewer, Tenor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (L') Enfance du Christ, Movement: Il s'en va loin de la terre (Shepherds' farewell) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Prière du matin |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Veni creator |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Loïc Mallié, Harmonium Lyon National Choir |
| (9) Mélodies, 'Irlande', Movement: Chant guerrier (ten, 3 male vv and pf) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Bruce Brewer, Tenor Hector Berlioz, Composer Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (Le) Trébuchet |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (9) Mélodies, 'Irlande', Movement: Hélène (rev 1844: sop/sop,ten, bass and pf) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Béatrice et Bénédict, Movement: Le vin de Syracuse |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Instrumental Ensemble Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir |
Composer or Director: Hector Berlioz
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Magazine Review Date: 11/1989
Media Format: Cassette
Media Runtime: 0
Catalogue Number: HMC40 1293
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (Le) Ballet des ombres |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Tristia, Movement: No. 2, La mort d'Ophélie |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Roméo et Juliette |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Hector Berlioz, Composer |
| Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Movement: Choeur d'ombres |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Movement: Chanson de brigands |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Movement: Fantaisie sur la Tempête de Shakespeare |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Sara la baigneuse |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (9) Mélodies, 'Irlande', Movement: Chanson à boire (ten, 4 male vv and pf) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Bruce Brewer, Tenor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (9) Mélodies, 'Irlande', Movement: Chant sacré (ten, 6vv and pf/orch) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Bruce Brewer, Tenor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (L') Enfance du Christ, Movement: Il s'en va loin de la terre (Shepherds' farewell) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Prière du matin |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Veni creator |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Loïc Mallié, Harmonium Lyon National Choir |
| (9) Mélodies, 'Irlande', Movement: Chant guerrier (ten, 3 male vv and pf) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Bruce Brewer, Tenor Hector Berlioz, Composer Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (Le) Trébuchet |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| (9) Mélodies, 'Irlande', Movement: Hélène (rev 1844: sop/sop,ten, bass and pf) |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Lyon National Choir Noël Lee, Piano |
| Béatrice et Bénédict, Movement: Le vin de Syracuse |
Hector Berlioz, Composer
Bernard Tetu, Conductor Hector Berlioz, Composer Instrumental Ensemble Jean-Philippe Courtis, Bass Lyon National Choir |
Author: John Warrack
There is a fascinating, delightful and entertaining record to be made of some of Berlioz's smaller pieces for chorus. This one is a muddle. Only half the works recorded are with piano, in some form or other sanctioned by Berlioz, and here it is that some gems are to be found. The Ballet des ombres was an early encounter with the nocturnal world Berlioz was to explore in the unlikely media of scherzos and marches: this eerie little piece was withdrawn, and was to find its true home in the Queen Mab scherzo in Romeo et Juliette. However, it needs rather more precise singing and a better focused recording than it receives here. La mort d'Ophelie, one of Berlioz's most enchanting shorter choral works, is taken a little fast, but makes its usual touching effect, and Le trebuchet comes offquite nicely. A real rarity is the Priere du matin, which has something of the touching simplicity of the best of Berlioz's 'naive' music. This concludes the works that were written with piano accompaniment, apart from the four items from the Thomas Moore settings which were originally entitled Neuf Melodies irlandaises. Though the group does not include Berlioz's most distinguished inventions, there was a real chance here to recored all nine. Another rarity, worth inclusion only out of curiosity, is one of the last pieces Berlioz wrote, the calm and reflective, if not very characteristic, Veni creator spiritus (though not its companion Tantum ergo).
There are other pieces from the lesser-known reaches of Berlioz's work list that would have gone well on this record—Le chant des Brefons, La Belle Isabeau, perhaps some of the duet songs among which there are certainly those which deserve rescue. It makes little sense to include the Lelio items, which urgently need the magic of Berlioz's orchestral imagination, nor does the beautiful Sara la baigneuse come off well here; and not all Noel Lee's skill and intelligence can prevent the Queen Mab scherzo sounding merely silly. Bruce Brewer also does his best with this doomed enterprise, and Jean-Philippe Courtis delivers himself of a hefty performance of the ''Chanson de brigands'', but to little avail. Adding as an afterthought, or makeweight the drinking song from Beatrice et Benedict has little point.'
There are other pieces from the lesser-known reaches of Berlioz's work list that would have gone well on this record—Le chant des Brefons, La Belle Isabeau, perhaps some of the duet songs among which there are certainly those which deserve rescue. It makes little sense to include the Lelio items, which urgently need the magic of Berlioz's orchestral imagination, nor does the beautiful Sara la baigneuse come off well here; and not all Noel Lee's skill and intelligence can prevent the Queen Mab scherzo sounding merely silly. Bruce Brewer also does his best with this doomed enterprise, and Jean-Philippe Courtis delivers himself of a hefty performance of the ''Chanson de brigands'', but to little avail. Adding as an afterthought, or makeweight the drinking song from Beatrice et Benedict has little point.'
Berlioz: Choral Works
Berlioz: Choral Works
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