Track 6 features Bernstein's narrated tour through this eccentric, groundbreaking symphonic masterpiece. Sadly, the conductor's pithy analogy between Berlioz's musical depiction of opium-inspired

Bernstein Century - Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, etc.

Track 6 features Bernstein's narrated tour through this eccentric, groundbreaking symphonic masterpiece. Sadly, the conductor's pithy analogy between Berlioz's musical depiction of opium-inspired visions and the dangers of a contemporary trip ("brilliance without glory") remains as timely now as it was in 1968. Brilliance and glory, however, characterize the conductor's 1963 recording, reissued here for the first time on CD. The orchestral execution is not as fluid or well-oiled as it would be for Bernstein's 1968 remake, but slightly closer micing reveals a wealth of color, nuance, and dynamic differentiation absent from the original LP. Passages leap from your speakers with sparkling clarity. The conductor illuminates the composer's innovative orchestral combinations with a kind of urgency that lapses into bombast only in the frenzied final measures. And why not? An absorbing, excellently remastered release. --Jed Distler
Country USA
Manufacturer Sony Classical
Binding Audio CD
ItemPartNumber 1693488
Model 2011634
ReleaseDate 1999-05-18
UnitCount 1
UPCs 074646096826
EANs 0074646096826

Bernstein Century - Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, etc.