Berlioz and Shakespeare

Donald Macleod surveys the spell Shakespeare cast on Berlioz's life and music

Berlioz burst onto the musical stage of 19th century Paris determined to break the mould of France’s elegant and refined classical style. He wanted to create music that could be bombastic, barbaric and grotesque, as well as sentimental, scintillating and sorrowful. In this, he was inspired by writers as much as fellow musicians. He was captivated by stories and crowded his imagination with the tales of Virgil, Scott, Goethe and, most of all, William Shakespeare. This week, Donald Macleod traces the tangled literary connections in Berlioz’s life and music, including the profound spell cast by Shakespeare over the composer’s art and personality.

Music featured:

Symphonie fantastique: IV. Marche au supplice
Harold en Italie: III. Sérénade
Les Nuits d'été: IV. Absence, VI. L'île inconnue
Waverley, Grande Ouverture
Roméo et Juliette: Part 1 (extracts)
Roméo et Juliette, Op 17: Part 2 (extract)
La Damnation de Faust: Scène 15.
Symphonie fantastique: II. Un bal (Valse)
Lélio, ou Le Retour a la vie: VI. Fantaisie sur ‘La tempête’ de Shakespeare
Symphonie fantastique: V. Songe d'une nuit du Sabbat
Lélio, ou Le Retour a la vie: II. Choeur d'Ombres
La Mort d’Ophélie
Roméo et Juliette: Part 2, II. Scene d'amour
Tristia: III. Marche funèbre pour la dernière scène d'Hamlet
Le Roi Lear
Marche hongroise
La Damnation de Faust: Part 2 (excerpts)
L'Enfance du Christ: Part 2, ‘La fuite en Egypte’ (excerpts)
Les Troyens, Act 4: ‘Nuit d'ivresse et d'extase infinie !’
Roméo et Juliette, Parts 4 & 5
Béatrice et Bénédict: (excerpts)
Roméo et Juliette: Part 6 & 7 (excerpts)

Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Berlioz and Shakespeare https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ryz1

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z