Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique – Lelio – Riccardo Muti, Chicago SO (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Riccardo Muti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Lelio (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 114:43 minutes | 1,99 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Digital booklet | @ CSO Resound – Naxos of America

This double album from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conductor Riccardo Muti was recorded live in September 2010 at Orchestra Hall and produced by Grammy winner David Frost. The Berlioz programme includes the Symphonie fantastique and its rarely-recorded sequel, Lélio, narrated here by French actor Gérard Depardieu, also featuring tenor Mario Zeffiri and bass baritone Kyle Ketelsen.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s label, CSO Resound, is noted for its extraordinary sound quality and its exciting performances, many of which are among the finest it has ever offered on disc. This double CD of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and its intended sequel, Lélio, ou le retour à la vie, is a bit of a rarity because they are infrequently paired, due to the different forces required for each. Symphonie fantastique is a five-movement programmatic symphony for orchestra, while Lélio is a melodramatic cantata for narrator, vocalists, chorus, two pianos, and orchestra, which makes mounting a performance of the two works together a bit daunting (quite aside from the fact that Lélio fell into neglect after the Romantic era, while the Symphonie fantastique has always been a hit). For this performance, Riccardo Muti leads the CSO in a rousing, if solidly mainstream, interpretation of the symphony on the first disc, and he is joined on the second disc by actor Gérard Depardieu, tenor Mario Zeffiri, bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen, and the Chicago Symphony Chorus, in a performance that conveys the extremes of lyricism and bombast that are so characteristic of Berlioz. It helps to know French, though the texts are provided, and Depardieu’s highly dramatic reading communicates the intensity of Berlioz’s passionate expressions. But listeners will be delighted by the variety and inventiveness of the music, both of which argue convincingly for Lélio’s revival. Highly recommended for Berlioz devotees and collectors of CSO Resound releases.

Tracklist:
CD1 #01 – Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, H.48: I. Rêveries – Passions
CD1 #02 – Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, H.48: II. Un bal
CD1 #03 – Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, H.48: III. Scène aux champs
CD1 #04 – Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, H.48: IV. Marche au supplice
CD1 #05 – Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, H.48: V. Songe d’une nuit de sabbat
CD2 #01 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: Narration. Dieu! Je vis encore
CD2 #02 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: I. Le pêcheur
CD2 #03 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: Narration. Étrange persistance d’un souvenir!
CD2 #04 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: II. Chœur d’ombres
CD2 #05 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: Narration. Ô Shakespeare!
CD2 #06 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: III. Chanson de brigands
CD2 #07 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: Narration. Comme mon esprit flotte incertain!
CD2 #08 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: IV. Chant de bonheur – Hymne
CD2 #09 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: Narration. Oh! Que ne puis-je la trouver
CD2 #10 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: V. La harpe éolienne – Souvenirs
CD2 #11 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: Narration. Mais pourquoi m’abandonner à ces dangereuses illusions?
CD2 #12 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: VI. Fantaisie sur “La tempête” de Shakespeare
CD2 #13 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: Narration. Assez pour aujourd’hui!
CD2 #14 – Lélio, ou Le retour à la vie, Op. 14b, H.55B: Coda. Allegro meno mosso

Producer: David Fros. Recording Engineer: Christopher Willis.
Mixing: David Frost and Silas Brown. Mastering: Silas Brown
Recorded live in Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, September 23, 24, 25, and 28, 2010.

Musicians:
Gérard Depardieu – narrator
Mario Zeffiri – tenor
Kyle Ketelsen – bass-baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus – Duain Wolfe, Director
Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Riccardo Muti, Conductor

Download:

http://subyshare.com/bjevgkyedu3p/Riccard0MutiChicag0S0Berli0z.Symph0nieFantastiqueLeli020152496.part1.rar.html
http://subyshare.com/xxwks08et78e/Riccard0MutiChicag0S0Berli0z.Symph0nieFantastiqueLeli020152496.part2.rar.html

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