8. Sinfoniekonzert

8th symphony concert

HECTOR BERLIOZ (1803-1869): "Roméo et Juliette" op. 17 Symphonie dramatique based on the tragedy by William Shakespeare for solos, choirs and orchestra

Berlioz evokes Shakespeare's drama here, but without showing its protagonists. As he puts it in the preface to this work, their love is too "sublime" to be portrayed by actors or singers. Instead, he once again relies on the power of symphonic music and creates a scene in his monumental composition, written in 1838, in which the characters are fully illuminated and act without acting. The work is like a theatrical response to Beethoven's 9th Symphony - with a non-staged operatic finale.