Shakespeare and Byron meet for a double-CD of Maazel’s recordings of two of Berlioz’s symphonies for Decca, coupled with the Roman Carnival Overture, included on an Overtures disc for Decca. Back on CD after a long absence, the 1972 Vienna Roméo boasts a stellar vocal cast.
HECTOR BERLIOZ
Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17
Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano
Michel Sénéchal, tenor
Nicolai Ghiaurov, bass
Les solistes des choeurs de l’ORTF
Marcel Courard, director
Wiener Philharmoniker
Lorin Maazel
Harold en Italie, Op. 16
Robert Vernon, viola
Le carnaval romain, Op. 9
The Cleveland Orchestra
Lorin Maazel
Recording Producers: Michael Woolcock (Roméo et Juliette, Le carnaval romain); James Mallinson (Harold en Italie)
Balance Engineers: Kenneth Wilkinson, Gordon Parry (Roméo et Juliette); Colin Moorfoot, Michael Mailes (Harold en Italie, Le carnaval romain)
Recording Locations: Sofiensaal, Vienna, Austria, 11–15 December 1972 (Roméo et Juliette); Masonic Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, 7 October 1977 (Harold en Italie); 27 August 1975 (Le carnaval romain)
‘Robert Vernon’s rich, slightly resonated tone is very apt for Harold’s melancholy detachment, and the warmth in it is of genuine viola quality’ (Harold en Italie) Gramophone
‘Maazel comes into his own with the “Capulets’ Ball”, setting off with a splendid thrust and maintaining the atmosphere with a tempo that is at once firm and exuberant … Maazel plays the moment of Romeo’s collapse and Juliet’s suicide with brilliant articulation’ (Roméo et Juliette) Gramophone