Roméo et Juliette

Description

Of all Berlioz's works inspired by Shakespeare, Roméo et Juliette is undeniably his greatest masterpiece. It is written in an innovative form, like a "super-symphony" that incorporates elements of symphony, but also of opera and oratorio. Berlioz did not compose singing roles for the main characters, but allowed others to narrate or comment, providing the freedom to embody the lovers in a musical language of extraordinary delicacy and passion. The lively Ball Scene and Romeo at the Capulet tomb are intensely dramatic, but the heart of the work is the Love Scene, a long symphonic poem that Wagner called "the melody of the 19th century."