Overview

A bold innovator in the 19th century, Hector Berlioz was a musical dramatist with an output that is less familiar than it should be and often misunderstood. Victor Lederer introduces and surveys the music of Berlioz—from the early symphonic masterworks to the sacred music and concert overtures and to his mighty five-act opera Les Troyens. His most famous and popular pieces are the thrilling programmatic symphonies, the Symphonie fantastique and Harold en Italie. The “dramatic symphonies” Roméo et Juliette and La damnation de Faust are both driven by conflict and excitement, which contrast his piercing, long-limbed melodies and startling harmonic shifts. Berlioz’s strongly profiled musical style possesses high rhythmic energy, and manic outbursts that are instantly identifiable as his, and he is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and effective orchestrators in history.

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9781538135587

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Victor Lederer is a writer on music and urban history. He is the author of nine volumes of the “Unlocking the Masters” series, including Verdi: the Operas and Choral Works, Ravel: A Listener’s Guide, and Beethoven’s Piano Music. He lives and works in New York City.

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