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    This page presents some recent general Berlioz-related news and forthcoming events. For details of performances of Berlioz’s music please see Forthcoming Performances (listing by countries and listing by dates).

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Last update: 17 August 2023

Acknowledgement

 News and events

(17 August 2023) Christian Olson, who has recently completed his doctoral coursework at Indiana University in conducting, performed as part of his degree recital four orchestral excerpts from Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette (the orchestral introduction, Love Scene, Queen Mab Scherzo, and Romeo alone ... Festivities at the Capulets) which may be seen on a Youtube video.

(17 août 2023) Christian Olson, qui vient de terminer ses études pour un doctorat sur la direction d’orchestre à l’Université d’Indiana aux États-Unis, a dirigé dans le cadre d’un récital pour ce grade quatre extraits pour orchestre du Roméo et Juliette de Berlioz (l’Introduction pour orchestre, la Scène d’amour, le Scherzo de la reine Mab, et Roméo seul ... Grande fête chez Capulet). On peut voir une vidéo de ce concert sur YouTube.

(1st January 2023) We send all our best wishes for 2023 to all the visitors of this site. — Due to the unforeseen sequels to an operation I underwent in early December 2022, I was unwell and largely out of action for much of the month, and was consequently unable to do any work on the Berlioz website until late in the month. I hope to resume normal service in the coming weeks. Michel Austin.
For details of a Berlioz concert which took place on 4 December 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and which appeared too late to be included at the time, see the Archive of performances of Berlioz’s music.

(1er janvier 2023) Nous envoyons tous nos meilleurs vœux pour 2023 à tous les visiteurs à ce site. — Par suite de séquelles imprevues d’une opération subie en décembre 2022, je me suis trouvé pratiquement hors d’action pendant presque tout le mois et incapable de travailler au site Berlioz avant les derniers jours de décembre. Je compte reprendre mon travail normal dans les semaines à venir. Michel Austin.
Sur un concert de musique de Berlioz qui eut lieu à Hanoi au Vietnam le 4 décembre 2022, et sur lequel nous n’avons été informés qu’après coup, voir la page Archives des concerts.

(1st November 2022) A Vietnamese translation of Berlioz’s Mémoires by Lê Ngọc Anh and Nguyễn Tuấn Anh has just appeared, the first in that language; for full details see the page A Bibliography of Berlioz’s Mémoires.

(1er novembre 2022) Une traduction en Vietnamien des Mémoires de Berlioz par Lê Ngọc Anh et Nguyễn Tuấn Anh vient de paraître, la première dans cette langue; pour plus de détails voir la page A Bibliography of Berlioz’s Mémoires.

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(18 July 2022) The Hector Berlioz Website was founded by Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin 25 years ago on 18 July 1997.

(18 juillet 2022) Le Site Hector Berlioz fut fondé par Monir Tayeb et Michel Austin il y a 25 ans le 18 juillet 1997.

(1st November 2021) The Hector Berlioz Museum has devoted an entry (in French) on its website to the memory of Monir Tayeb.

(1er novembre 2021) Le Musée Hector-Berlioz a consacré une entrée sur leur site internet à la mémoire de Monir Tayeb.

(1st October 2021) Two new pages have been added to the site to commemorate the work of Monir Tayeb: Monir Tayeb Academic Page, a page she compiled herself some years ago to summarise her academic career, and Monir and Berlioz, which outlines her contribution to the Hector Berlioz Website over a period of 24 years.

(1er octobre 2021) Deux nouvelles pages ont été ajoutées à ce site pour commémorer l’œuvre de Monir Tayeb: Monir Tayeb Academic Page, page qu’elle avait rédigée (en anglais) sur sa carrière universitaire, et Monir et Berlioz sur la contribution qu’elle a faite pendant 24 ans au Site Hector Berlioz.

(1st August 2021) It is with great sadness that I report the sudden death on 30 July 2021 of my wife Monir Tayeb. It was at her suggestion that in July 1997 we started a website dedicated entirely to Berlioz, and for the last 24 years she and I have worked together to extend its coverage and contents. I intend to continue working on the site for some time to come, though I may not be able to cover alone all its different sections, some of which she had been managing entirely on her own for many years. Michel Austin.

(1er août 2021) C’est avec une grande tristesse que je fais part de la mort subite le 30 juillet 2021 de ma femme Monir Tayeb. C’est à son initiative que nous avions entrepris en juillet 2021 un site internet consacré exclusivement à Berlioz, et pendant les 24 dernières années nous avons continué à le développer ensemble. J’ai l’intention de poursuivre le travail pendant encore quelque temps, mais je ne suis sans doute pas en mesure d’entretenir tout seul toutes les différentes rubriques du site, dont certaines avaient été entièrement gérées par elle pendant bien des années. Michel Austin.

Le Carnaval Romain

Label: Decca Records / 452 480-2, productions year 1997, Dutoit, Montréal

Tracks:
Overture: Le Carnaval Romain
Overture: Benvenuto Cellini: opera semi-séria in 2 acts (Holoman 76 / Op.23)
Overture: Waverley: for orchestra (Holoman 26 / Op.1)
Overture: Béatrice et Bénédict, opera in 2 acts (Holoman 138)
Overture: Le Roi Lear, for orchestra, (Op.4
Overture: Les Francs-juges, opera in 3 acts, (Op.3)
Overture: Les Troyens, opera in 5 acts (Holoman 133 / Holoman 133A)
Overture: Le Corsaire, for orchestra (Op.21)

Zaïde (Bolero)

Fatma Said El Nour (soprano)
Warner Classics

Société française de musicologie
Critique musicale, volume 10 (1860-1863)

Zubin Mehta: The Complete Warner Recordings

Symphonie fantastique
Le Carnaval romain
Béatrice et Bénédict, ouverture
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Zubin Mehta 27 CD + 3 DVD
Warner Classics 9029522132

Yann Beuron (Récitant)
Karen Cargill (Sainte Marie)
William Dazeley (Saint Joseph)
Matthew Rose (Hérode)
Peter Rose (Père de famille/Polydorus)
Tenebrae (Director: Nigel Short)
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Sir Colin Davis
2 CD
Alto ALC1608

Symphnie fantastique
Maris Jansons - Retrospective

Mikhail Rudy, piano
Emmanuel Pahud, flûte
Vadim Repin, violon
Nina Stemme, soprano
Andreas Ottensamer, clarinette
Berliner Philharmoniker Wiener Philharmoniker
Mariss Jansons 6 DVD EuroArts 2067628

The Romantic Viola II
Harold en Italie

Arrangement for viola and piano by Hugh Macdonald
Daniel Weissmann, viola
Peter Petrov, piano
The album is completed by ‘fin-de-siecle’ pieces by Vierne, Chausson and Tournemire (all three students of Cesar Franck)

New Recording

The Decca Recordings [including Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) : Benvenuto Cellini, op. 23 ; Béatrice et Bénédict, op. 27 - ouvertures]

Musique en Dialogue aux Carmélites : 4e édition
from 29 August to 27 september at Chapelle des Carmélites, Toulouse

Including:
30 August at 4.00pm : Berlioz, Éternelle Estelle (Création)**
(folowing text in French)
Esprit novateur et critique musical sévère mais compétent, loin de la caricature de l’artiste romantique échevelé, Berlioz était un être profond et sensible. Au-delà de ses amours tumultueuses il restera toute sa vie fidèle à son premier amour, Estelle, connue lorsqu’il avait 12 ans et retrouvée à 61 ans. Trop tard ?

"Aujourd’hui je suis vieux et veuf, ma chère Estelle, songez que je vous aime depuis quarante-neuf ans, que je vous ai toujours aimée depuis mon enfance, malgré les orages de toute espèce qui ont ravagé ma vie" (Lettre de Berlioz à Estelle, 27 septembre 1864). Nous pourrions nous marier, qu’en pensez-vous ? La musique et l’amour sont les deux ailes de l’âme.

Composées pour grand orchestre les œuvres berlioziennes choisies sont spécialement transcrites pour un trio inédit : Sandrine Tilly à la flûte dont Berlioz jouait, Philippe Tribot au violoncelle et Sébastien Llinares à la guitare qui était l’instrument de prédilection du compositeur. La chaude voix de Sarah Laulan donnera vie aux personnages imaginés par Berlioz dont les Mémoires seront lus par François Castang.

Distribution : Sarah Laulan, contralto – Sandrine Tilly, flûte – Sébastien Llinarès, guitare – Philippe Tribot, violoncelle – François Castang, récitant

New DVD

New CD

“Nuits”, mélodies françaises orchestrées
Ensemble I Giardini:
Shuichi Okada, Pablo Schatzman, violon
Léa Hennino, alto
Pauline Buet, violoncelle
David Violi, piano
Véronique Gens (soprano)
Release Date: 24th April 2020 • Catalogue No: ALPHA589 • Label: Alpha
Among other items, the Nuits includes Berlioz’s “L’Île inconnue”, from Les Nuits d’été, transcribed by Alexandre Dratwicki

New Book

Music and fantasy in the age of Berlioz
by Francesca Brittan
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2020. Collection. « New perspectives in music history and criticism » 27.

New Book

New Book

The Other Worlds of Hector Berlioz. Travels with the Orchestra
by Inje van Rij
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2020.

Joseph d’Ortigue

Joseph d’Ortigue (1802-1866) was a close friend of Berlioz and his colleague at the Journal des Débats, where he often deputised for him and was his successor in 1864 when Berlioz resigned from the journal. In 1834 d’Ortigue published a novel entitled La Sainte Baume; this work has now been republished with an introduction and notes by Henri Lavagne (Honoré Champion, Paris 2019; ISBN 9782745350282). M. Lavagne is actually the great-great-great grandson of Joseph d’Ortigue. We are most grateful to him for sending us this information.

Festival Berlioz 2020 (18-30 Auguest): Berlioz et les Méditerranées musicales

Les Troyens à Carthage, Jeune Orchestre européen Hector Berlioz, conductor: François-Xavier Roth
L’Enfance du Christ, Marche marocaine. Invited conductors: Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Hervé Niquet
Temporary Exhibition at the Musée Hector-Berlioz : « Les femmes de Méditerranée dans l’œuvre de Berlioz »

New Book by Emmanuel Reibel and Béatrice Didier (in French)

Paris : Honoré Champion, 2019, 256 page. « Dialogue des arts » Collection

Stamps to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Berlioz’s death

New book by David Cairns

Discovering Berlioz
Label: Toccata Press, Catalogue No. ISBN: 978-0-907689-58-4
Release Date: 06.12.2019

New editon of Berlioz’s Mémoires, by Peter Bloom

ISBN 978-2-7116-2865-0 - June 2019
Publisher: Vrin - MusicologieS

HECTOR BERLIOZ 1869-2019 (150 ans de passions)

Auteurs : Emmanuel Reibel, Alban Ramaut
Coll. Musiques-XIX-XXe siècles, Éditions Aedam Musicae, Dépot légal : Avril 2019

New arrangement of Les Nuits d’été

An arrangement of Les Nuits d’été by Luca Antignani has been commisioned by 15th Concours international de musique de chambre of Lyon, on the occasion 150th anniversary of Berlioz’s death.

The arrangement is for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and high voice
ISMN 979-0-2318-0874-2
publisher: Symétri

 Berlioz au bout des doigts - The Hector Berlioz Website

The French author M. Christian Wasselin has written an article, entitled “Berlioz at the fingertips”, about our website in the November 2018 issue of Lélio, a regular publication of the Association Nationale Hector Berlioz, based in France.

New book by Volker Hagedorn

Der Klang von Paris. Eine Reise in die musikalsiche Metropole des 19. Jahrhunderts. By (Rowohlt Verlag GmbH, Hamburg, Germany, 2019)

On pp. 298-302 Volker Hagedorn relates a visit he made to us in Edinburgh in April 2017 to talk about our Berlioz website.

New book on Louis Berlioz, Berlioz’s son

Louis Berlioz - Capitaine au long cours - Saint-Nazaire 1862-1867. By Christian Morinière. (Édition La Basilique, 2019)

Critique musicale, volume 9 : 1856-1859

This volume has been published by the Société française de musicologie, with support from the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication. ISBN 978-2-85357-262-0.

New vocal score of the Requiem available, gratis

Anyone who has been involved in or contemplating performances of the Grande Messe des Morts, is likely aware that the vocal score does not contain an alto part, as was common practice in early 19th century French choral music. There is now an edition that includes an alto line, drawn from the second soprano and first tenor lines, that solves the complicated problem of providing directions for the chorus altos for performances. This edition has been used in recent performances by the San Francisco, Seattle and Virginia Symphonies, among others, and is now being made available in pdf form, gratis, by editor Adrian G. Horn. He adds that the work has been a labor of love for him, and that he would rather give it away than see it underutilized.

To receive a pdf of the score, email Adrian at ahorn@earthlink.net

New book: Le Christ selon Berlioz

This French book, a collection of various religious essays, is by Jean Pavans, published by Bayard Culture. ISBN-10: 222749252X; ISBN-13: 978-2227492523l

New book on Berlioz by Pierre-René Serna

This book, entiled Café Berlioz, is published by Bleu Nuit Éditeur.  EAN (European Article Number): 9782358840583

New edition of the Mémoires

This edition, by Professor Peter Bloom, will be published by Vrin, in Paris, before the end of this year, or early next year, in time for the 150th anniversary of the death of Berlioz.

Discovery of the manuscript of voice and piano score of Les Troyens

This manuscript, which was thought lost for over a century, has been found; it is now in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and placed online on Gallica.

Technical information / Informations techniques

(1 January 2018) All internal hyperlinks on the site have been converted from absolute to relative links. For example, depending on the location on the site of the file where the link is placed, the address of the English home page is now expressed in code more concisely either as "index.html" or as "../index.html", and no longer as the full "http://www.hberlioz.com/index.html". This change has involved rewriting the code of all html pages on the site, some 6,000 in all.

(1er janvier 2018) Tous les liens internes du site ont été convertis de liens absolus en liens relatifs. Par exemple, suivant l’emplacement sur le site du fichier où se trouve le lien, l’adresse de la page d’accueil du site est mainenant donnée dans le code de manière plus concise soit comme "BerliozAccueil.html", soit comme "../BerliozAccueil.html", et non plus comme "http://www.hberlioz.com/BerliozAccueil.html". Ce changement a nécessité la modification du code de chaque page html du site, soit environ 6,000 fichiers en tout.

New recording of Grande Messe des morts

Hampton Roads Classics has released a recording of the Grande Messe des morts, conducted by JoAnn Falletta, with Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the Choral Arts Society of Washington, and Robert McPherson (tenor). Bar code: 888295651097

Technical information / Informations techniques

(1 October 2017) During September a further 1,000 files have been converted, including a number of autobiographical articles by Berlioz himself (in Le Monde Illustré and Le Magasin des Demoiselles), articles and studies about Berlioz, notably by Ernest Reyer (in the Journal des Débats) and the extensive series of Berlioziana by Julien Tiersot (in Le Ménestrel), and the more than 800 pages concerning Berlioz and Paris (his residential addresses, public buildings and venues, his career and activities in Paris). With one exception the conversion of the entire site to HTML5 is now complete and every single page has been validated with the validation service provided by the World Wide Web Consortium, making a total of about 5,500 pages of html. The exception mentioned concerns a group of around 500 files of musical scores which are in a proprietary format which cannot be converted to HTML5.

(1er octobre 2017) Au cours du mois de septembre un millier de fichiers ont été convertis, comprenant des articles autobiographiques de Berlioz lui-même (dans Le Monde Illustré et Le Magasin des Demoiselles), des articles et études sur Berlioz, notamment par Ernest Reyer (dans le Journal des Débats) et Julien Tiersot (sa grande série de Berlioziana dans Le Ménestrel), et les plus de 800 pages concernant Berlioz et Paris (les domiciles du compositeur, bâtiments publics et autres locaux, sa carrière à Paris). À une exception près la conversion de l’ensemble du site au format HTML5 est maintenant terminée, et chaque page a été validée avec l’outil de validation fourni par le World Wide Web Consortium, soit environ 5,500 pages de html en tout. L’exception mentionnée concerne un groupe d’environ 500 pages de partitions musicales qui sont rédigées dans un format spécial qui ne peut être converti au format HTML5.

La Damnation de Faust on YouTube

The 8 August performance of La Damnation de Faust at the BBC Proms 2017, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, is now availabe on YouTube.

Technical information / Informations techniques

(1 September 2017) A total of over 4,400 files have now been converted, including all the files concerning Berlioz Photo Album, Berlioz Music Scores (including Texts and Documents relating to Berlioz’s music, the excerpts from the Treatise on Instrumentation and Orchestration and the Conductor’s Art, but excluding the files containing actual musical scores), Berlioz’s travels in France, Germany and Central Europe, Berlioz Discography, Berlioz Memorabilia and Bicentenary Special, and finally the Home Page of the site and files related to it (notably Site History and Site Statistics).

(1er septembre 2017) À cette date plus de 4,400 fichiers ont maintenant été convertis, comprenant tous les fichiers concernant l’Album de photos, les Partitions de Berlioz (y compris les Textes et Documents concernant sa musique, les extraits du Traité d’instrumentation et d’orchestration et l’Art du chef d’orchestre, mais excluant tous les fichiers contenant des partitions de musique), les voyages de Berlioz en France, en Allemagne et en Europe Centrale, la Discographie de Berlioz, les Souvenirs Berlioziens, la Page spéciale du bicentenaire de Berlioz, et finalement la Page d’Accueil du site et les pages qui s’y rattachent (notamment l’Historique du site et les Statistiques du site)

Technical information / Informations techniques - August update

(1 August 2017) A total of over 2,600 files have now been converted, including all the files concerning La Côte-Saint-André, Vienne (Isère) and Meylan, Berlioz Libretti and Berlioz and Literature, Berlioz Statues, Berlioz in London (including Friends and acquaintances, and his Report on the Great Exhibition in London 1851), Berlioz Predecessors and Contemporaries (but excluding the files of musical scores).

(1er août 2017) À cette date plus de 2,600 fichiers ont maintenant été convertis, comprenant tous les fichiers concernant La Côte-Saint-André, Vienne (Isère) et Meylan, les Livrets et L’Inspiration littéraire de Berlioz, les Statues de Berlioz, Berlioz à Londres (y compris Amis et connaissances, et son Rapport sur l’exposition de 1851 à Londres), et les Prédécesseurs et contemporains de Berlioz (mais excluant tous les fichiers de partitions musicales).

Technical information / Informations techniques - July update

(1 July 2017) A total of over 1,500 files have now been converted, including all the files concerning the Archive of performances of Berlioz’s music, the Pioneers and Champions of Berlioz, the Letters of the composer’s family at the Hector Berlioz Museum, and Berlioz’s travels in Russia.

(1er juillet 2017) À cette date plus de 1,500 fichiers ont maintenant été convertis, comprenant tous les fichiers concernant les Archives des concerts de musique de Berlioz, les Pionniers et partisans de Berlioz, les Lettres de la famille du compositeur au Musée Hector-Berlioz, et les voyages de Berlioz en Russie.

Technical information / Informations techniques

The Berliozians - An Interview with Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin

The interview was conducted by Volker Hagedorn and published on the online Van Magazine (in both English and German versions) on 18 May

Technical information / Informations techniques

Memorias Hector Berlioz - Spanish edition of the Mémoires

The Spanish edition of the Mémoires, translated and edited by Dr Enrique García Revilla, has been published by AKAL, collection Bíografías.
576 pages. ISBN 978-84-460-4428-4 (2017)

Read also on the site a review of this edition of the Mémoires by our friend Pierre-René Serna (in French)

New publication: Le Nouveau Millénaire

Alex Messaoudi, from the town of Troy, in the département of Aube, France has launched a new monthly literary and musical magazine, Le Nouveau Millénaire, with special interest in 19th century writers and composers. The first issue which was published in January 2017 is dedicated to Berlioz.

Feuilletons of Berlioz  in the Journal des Débats

Berlioz contributed to this influential journal from 1834 to 1863. We have completed the transcription of all the articles that Berlioz wrote for this journal (nearly 400 in all) and published them on our website. We have also created new and/or enlarged pages for this section, as follows:

See also elsewhere on the site a brief note on the Bertin family who owned and edited the journal.

Clémentine, la petite fille secrète d’Hector Berlioz

Following an earlier announcement about the research on Clémentine, we are pleased to inform you that a book based on that research, entitled Clémentine, la petite fille secrète d’Hector Berlioz, by Lucien Chamard-bois and Josiane Boulard has been published as book on demand by BOD, Books on Demand (www.bod.fr).

New acquisition by the Musée Hector-Berlioz

The Museum has acquired a second portrait of Harriet Smithson; it is by Claude Marie Paul Dubufe.

© Photo courtesy of the Musée Hector-Berlioz

The play, Épisode ultime de la vie d’un artiste Paris, hiver 1839 [Final episode of the life of an artist Paris winter 1839] is about the unlikely meeting between Berlioz and the caretaker of a concert hall where the rehearsal of the Symphonie fantastique is taking place. The play is published by Éditions Le Solitaire in their Collection Jeune Théâtre series. ISBN 978-2-364070530. See also below Le Concierge (fantaisie dramatique sur Berlioz).

1. An 1847 Érard piano, which the Museum acquired at an auction and subsequently had restored by an Érard piano specialist firm in Amsterdam. The piano had been purchased by Marie Recio, at a time when Berlioz was in London; it was later inherited by her mother Madame Martin, who gave it to Berlioz. An 1865 portrait of Berlioz in the Museum shows him sitting on a chair, which is also in the Museum, next to this same piano.

2. A portrait of Harriet Smithson by the English portrait painter George Clint (1800-1854), recently acquired by us for the benefit of the Museum. The portrait dates from around 1825-1830.

3. A portrait of young Marie Recio, part of a legacy to the Museum by the Reboul family (descendents of Berlioz’s sister Nancy).

4. A portrait of Estelle Fornier purchased by the Museum from the descendents of the Fornier Family.

Technical information concerning the site / Information technique concernant le site (2015)

On 13 May 2015 all the html/htm pages of the site were converted from the windows-1252 coding to the universal standard utf-8. This involved the modification and uploading of nearly 5300 files in all.

Le 13 mai 2015 toutes les pages html/htm du site ont été converties du codage windows-1252 au codage universel utf-8. Ceci a nécessité la modification et le chargement de presque 5300 fichiers en tout.

Las tertulias de la orquesta – Spanish edition of Les Soirées de l’Orchestre

Hector Berlioz, Las tertulias de la orquesta, translated and edited by Enrique García Revilla has just been published by Akal Música in Madrid. Preface by Pablo Heras-Casado.

Letters of Berlioz’s family at the Hector Berlioz Museum published on this site

In December 2013 we were invited by the Hector Berlioz Museum to publish on our site their large collection of letters and documents by members of Berlioz’s family, including his father, mother, uncle Félix Marmion, his wives Harriet Smithson and Marie Recio, his sisters Adèle and Nancy, and their families: in all 244 texts, ranging from 1823 to 1878. These texts are now available on this site in the original French, with introduction and commentary in French (the introduction is also available in English). There is also a selection of images of the letters.

See for the version in French: Lettres de la famille du compositeur au Musée Hector Berlioz 

See for the version in English: Letters of the composer’s family at the Hector Berlioz Museum 

The Musée Hector-Berlioz issued a Communiqueé de presse [press release] on 11 December 2014, the day the letters and related pages were published on the site.

The publication of letters of Berlioz’s family was announced at the time by a number of French institutions, papers, and websites.

Award of the Berlioz Society Medal

We are delighted to have received the award of a Berlioz Society Medal, which was given to us at a meeting of the Society on 22 June 2014. We are very honoured to find ourselves in such distinguished company as Sir Colin Davis, David Cairns, Hugh Macdonald and Dame Janet Baker, the previous recipients of the medal. We are very grateful to the Berlioz Society for this award. 

For further details please see Award of the Berlioz Society Medal (and its French version).

Technical information / Informations techniques (2014)

Between 3rd February and 7 March 2014 the entire Hector Berlioz website was converted to conform to HTML 4.01 Transitional; this has involved modifications to the code of over 4200 pages of html, as well as the systematic introduction of stylesheets.

Du 3 février au 7 mars 2014 l’ensemble du Site Hector Berlioz a été adapté pour être conforme au format HTML 4.01 Transitional; ceci a entraîné la modification du code de plus de 4200 pages de html, et la systémisation de l’emploi de feuilles de style (stylesheets).

An extensive discography of Sir Colin Davis

This extensive discography, entitled Sir Colin Davis - A Discography, has been compiled by Malcolm Walker and Brian Godfrey, which includes the recordings of music by a large number of composers, including Berlioz. 

In the Footsteps of Berlioz – a biographical DVD

This DVD, released by Kultur Video, is at the moment available only in NTSC format, Region 1, US and Canada. UPC: 032031483293 ; ISBN: 978-0-7697-9218-7

In the Footsteps of Berlioz was filmed in 2012. Here is the DVD description:

In his music and his life, Hector Berlioz was a passionate romantic. From his first crush at the age of 12 to his last love at 61, women were at the core of his inspiration and his existence. Largely self-taught, the irrepressible genius of French Romanticism found his greatest success in life beyond his native land. From Rome and Florence to Paris and Nice, we follow in his tracks to reveal his prodigious passion for music and more. Along the way, we meet his biographers as well as contemporary greats like conductor Sir Colin Davis, the first man to record the complete works of Berlioz.

Berlioz’s granddaughter Clémentine

(See also above for information regarding the book published based on this research.)

As you may know Louis Berlioz had a daughter from a young lady with whom he had liaison. A letter by the mother of this person addressed to Louis concerning the welfare of the little girl is published in vol. VII of Correspondance Générale, letter no. 2855, footnote 1 (the original of the letter is in the Berlioz Museum). Until recently it had been assumed that Clémentine was born in Le Havre c. 1854.

According to the bulletin of the Association nationale Hector Berlioz, Lélio, La Lettre de l’AnHB, no. 28, October 2012, two researchers, Josiane Boulard and Lucien Chamard-Bois, have discovered a document which indicates that Clémentine was born in Marseille on 31 March 1861.

It should be noted that La Louisiane, the merchant ship of which Louis was a capitain, frequently docked in the port of Marseille and Louis had a close relationship with Berlioz’s lifelong friend Auguste Morel and his family who lived there.

Livre de Raison of Dr Berlioz – latest addition to the rich collection of the Berlioz Museum

In 2013 The Musée Hector-Berlioz acquired the Livre de Raison [account book] of  Louis-Joseph Berlioz, Hector’s father.

The Livre de Raison contains “nearly three hundred neatly written pages and kept from 1815 to 1838, combining the function of family chronicle and register of the estates”. As David Cairns says, it “ is the record of the economy of a well-to-do country estate in the first few decades of the nineteenth century and the main documentary source for the background of Hector Berlioz’s shadowy early years”.

David Cairns – Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

We are delighted to announce that David Cairns was made the Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on 13 November 2013 at the French Ambassador’s Residence in Kensington Palace Gardens, London, with the Ambassador Bernard Emié conducting the ceremony.

You can read on our site the speeches given on this occasion by H.E. Bernard Emié and David Cairns. (see also the French version of  H.E. Bernard Emié’s speech.)

A new edition of A travers chants

This edition of Berlioz’s 1862 is published by Symétrie, with a preface by Emmanuel Reibel.

Une transcription pour orgue de la Symphonie fantastique– by Christian Wasselin

This article reviews a recording of Yves Rechsteiner’s transcription of the Symphonie fantastique for organ (VDE-GALLO Records, catalogue no. CD 1416). The article is in French.

Julien Tiersot: Berlioziana

We have completed the transcription and publication of the original French text of all the Berlioziana and other articles on Berlioz published by Tiersot in Le Ménestrel between 1904 and 1911 (127 in all). The first set of transcribed articles were published on 1 May 2012 and the last on 1 November 2013.

See also Julien Tiersot : Berlioziana (French) and Julien Tiersot : Berlioziana (presentation in English, articles in the original French).

“Today’s concert programmes are tomorrow’s historic documents”

Do you have any concert programme notes, flyers, posters, and other documents related to performances of Berlioz’s music that you have attended or collected over time? 
If so, you may like to consider donating them to the Hector Berlioz Museum to be added to their rich collection of documents.

Here is the Museum’s postal address: 69 rue de la République, 38260 La Côte Saint-André, Isère, France.

The Hector Berlioz Museum is awarded the title of “Maison des Illustres”

At the initiative of M. Frédéric Mitterrand, the French Minister of Culture and Communication, the title of Maison des Illustres (‘House of the Illustrious’) was created in 2010 to raise the cultural and social profile of such establishments and publicise their distinctive heritage. The title is awarded to houses of exceptional cultural interest and guarantees an outstanding welcome to all members of the public.

Institutions with contents related to Berlioz

Musée Hector-Berlioz at La Côte Saint-André

Musée Hector-Berlioz is located in the house in which Berlioz was born and grew up. Here you will find information about the museum, its history, its collection, virtual visits, the temporary exhibitions which it stages from time to time, and many other features. The Museum also has an extelent page on Facebook.

Bibliothèque nationale de France

You will find at the BNF early editions of Berlioz’s books, libretti and scores of some of his operas, many books on Berlioz, and a large number of his portraits. The BNF also has a large selection of autograph letters of Berlioz.

As you may know, the manuscript of Les Troyens, piano reduction, was purchased by the Bibliothèque nationale de France, for 1.5 million euros, from a private collector in 2016.

Conservatoire de Paris 

The present-day Conservatoire de Paris (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris) is located within a few meters from the Cité de la Musique in the Parc de la Villette, at 209, avenue Jean-Jaurès, Paris. The Conservatoire’s Library/Médiathèque is named after Berlioz: Médiathèque Hector Berlioz.

To see the pictures of the Paris Conservatoire that Berlioz knew visit the Conservatoire sectione on our Berlioz in Paris pages. 

BBC Proms Archive online

The BBC has placed online the 119-year history of the Proms concertsl. You can search this rich archive by composer and works, year or artist.

The archive listing for Berlioz is here. 

There are however some inaccuracies in the entries. For example, in the 2003 entry for Prom 47, the information regarding the performance of Les Troyens includes the following: 
Monday 25 August 2003, 3.00am, Royal Albert Hall, Les Troyens Part 1, ‘La Prise de Troie’. In fact Les Troyens was performed complete on that day: Part 1 at 3.00pm (not at 3.00 o’clock in the morning), Part 2 at 7.00pm (this is missing in the listing). See also 25 August 2003 on our Archive of performances. 

Association nationale Hector Berlioz (France)

The Association Nationale Hector Berlioz has a site (in French) with a number of sections, including: history of the Association, its objectives, its publications, and also pages on Berlioz biography, bibliography and discography.  Members receive a free copy of the Association’s regular publications Bulletin de Liaison and Lélio.

Berlioz Society (London)

The Berlioz Society website gives information about the Society’s aims and the office holders. Members of the Society receive a free copy of the Society’s tri-annual Bulletin. In addition, an annual weekend is organised which are open to the members and their guests.

Websites with contents related to Berlioz

Berlioz Archives

This is an Internet-based virtual library in Japanese language dedicated to Hector Berlioz, created and edited by Mr. Goro Aoki, a Japanese Berlioz scholar.
“Berlioz Shiryokan is a non-profit, non-commercial, personally funded website, made public in October 2016, for the purpose of making man and works of Berlioz widely known to Japanese readers. The author wishes to maintain the exhibition for at least ten years, gradually expanding and enriching its contents.”

A major composition by the Dutch composer Jacques Bank inspired by Berlioz

The composition is a ‘sort of opera’ about Berlioz, based on texts taken from Berlioz’s own writings (Mémoires, letters, etc) and D. Kern Holomon’s biography of Berlioz. It is entitled Episodes de la vie d’un artiste, and was first performed on two consecutive evenings on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in 1994. The focus of the work is on Berlioz’s relationship with Harriet Smithson and their son Louis, which in the composition is represented by a boys’ choir.

For more information on this composition visit Mr Bank’s website, including Episodes de la Vie d’un Artiste.

Complete edition of “Hector Berlioz – Lebenserinnerungen” online

This 1914 biography of Berlioz was written by Dr Hans Scholz and published in Munich (in German). It is published online as part of the Gutenberg project.

Dr Berlioz’s seminal book online

Books.Google.co.uk : Mémoires sur les maladies chroniques, les évacuations sanguines et l’acupuncture 

Recently Digitised: Berlioz Vocal Scores

Digitised copies of the vocal scores of Berlioz’s operas are now available on the website of the Loeb Music Library, Harvard University’s main repository for music materials.

“The Grande Messe des Morts and the Absence of God”, by David cairns

On 26 June 2012, David cairns delivered this lecture at Barnard’s Inn Hall, Gresham College, London, ahead of the City of London Festival performance of Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts Op. 5 (Requiem) by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Sir Colin Davis, which took place at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

“Une page d’amour romantique” Berlioz’s letters to Madame Fornier

A digital copy of the original Une page d’amour romantique : lettres inédites à Madame Estelle Fornier, published in Paris in 1903, is now available to read online or to download for free, in various formats including pdf.

Le Concierge (fantaisie dramatique sur Berlioz) – a play inspired by Berlioz and Harriet Smithson

The play is by Thierry Rousselet, directed by Alain Servigne, with Anne-Gaëlle Gernot (Harriet, la Voix), Raymond Jouvin (Le Concierge), Alain Servigne (Hector Berlioz). It is in French.

This play was performed in Gillonnay, a town very near La Côte Saint André, on 27 and 28 June 2015, and on 21 May and 12 August 2016 at the Musee Hector-Berlioz. The  video recording of the performance of 27 June in Gillonnay is available on Youtube.

Berlioz on Facebook

Our Facebook group has been created in conjunction with our own Hector Berlioz Website (www.hberlioz.com), which is a homage to the great 19th century composer. The group provides a forum for discussions and exchange of news and views on and about Berlioz and his music and any other related subjects that members would wish to discuss or publishe on the group page. The page also announces major concerts, reviews, publications, recordings and other events, as well as updates of various pagesof our website. 

The Musée Hector Berlioz’s Facebook page regularly annonces various events (exhibitions, guided touurs, etc) which take place at the Museum, and publishes new photos of the Museum from time to time.

Completely Berlioz group is similarly a forum for discussions and exchange of news.

Berlioz on Youtube

A large number of videos of performances of Berlioz’s music can be watched on youtube.

An audio recording, broadcast on public radio on 8 April 2014, of Les Troyens performed at the Teatro alla Scala di Milano (the Royal Opera House June 2012 production) conducted by Antonio Pappano, is now available on youtube.

A message from Maestro Guillermo Figueroa:

Dear All
Here are videos of a performance of the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique that I did with the Texas All-State Orchestra. There were 130 players, just like Berlioz would have wanted! It’s hard to believe they are all high school kids, they’re so good. They play hot, and with a lot of freedom and rubato, more than making up for an occasional ensemble lapse.
Enjoy!
Guillermo

BERLIOZ Symphonie Fantastique
Movement 1 – Dreams and passions  
Movement 2 – A ball  
Movement 3 – A scene in the country  
Movement 4 - March to the Scaffold  
Movement 5 – Dream of a Witche’s Sabbath 

A short film in three parts about major Berlioz collections at the Bibliothéque nationale de France

The three parts of film are narrated by Madame Cécile Reynaud, Conservateur en chef at the Department of Music of the BNF, and are online at the following locations:

Web-série "Les Troyens de Berlioz" - Film 1

Web-série "Les Troyens de Berlioz" – Film 2

Web-série "Les Troyens de Berlioz" – Film 3

La Malédiction [The Curse] – a beautiful and moving short video filmed in La Côte Saint-André

La Malédiction won the first prize at the Festival du court métrage amateur [Festival of amateur short films] in 2011. 
creator: Gaël Fonvieille
screenplay: Patrick Fonvieille
actors: Yves Thomas, Hector Arnaud, Christiane Fonvieille, Anna Bianca, Patrick Fonvieille, Gaël Fonvieille.

Berlioz’s piano – two short films

Both films, available on youtube, are by Thomas Bozzato, in cooperation with the Musée Hector-Berlioz and Département de l’Isère.

Le piano de Berlioz : (duration 4 minutes; presentation in French)

Renaisssance d’un piano Erard : (duration 15 minutes; interviews in French and English)

Acknowledgement

We would like to express our gratitude to all those who have in the past and at present contributed to this page: Association nationale Hector Berlioz, John Ahouse, Ruth Akers, Philippe Allante, Association Messiaen 2008, Jacques Bank,Yann Beaumin , Bernadette Beyne, Peter Bloom, Ilke Boran, Hugues Blunat (of the Orchestre des Gardiens de la Paix de Paris), Gunther Braam, David Cairns, Professor Luc Charles-Dominique, Didier Charton, Andrew Coombs (Bristol Choral Society), Peter Craik (Royal Academy of Music), Jean-Philippe Dartevel, Xavier de Keroual, Eric Delcommenne (of the Belgian Post Office), Jean-Michel Desai, Julien Di Tommaso (Director of Compagnie Interlude), Pepijn van Doesburg, Elena Dolenko, M. Daniel Dollé (Deputy Directeur Géneral of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein), Márvio dos Anjos, Adeline Ducasse, Tony Dymoke-Bradshaw, Eric Ferrand-N’Kaoua (Pianist), Maestro Guillermo Figueroa, Frédéric Fleurot, Christopher Follett, Franziska Geus, Misoon Ghim, Thomas Glasow, Robert Goldberg, Haydn Greenway,  Keith Gunnar, Gene Halaburt, Frank Heidlberger (Professor of Music Theory), David Howitt, Kenichi Inagaki, Daniel Jacobi, Harald Janko, Diana Jefkins, Eddie Jones, Xavier de Keroual James Kearney, Craig Kridel, Dr. Klaus Heinrich Kohrs, Will Lardinois, Yann Le Bras (of the Absolutamente company), Louis-Paul Lepaumier, Gilles Lesur, Jacques-Francois L’Oiseleur Des Longchamps, Rob Lown, Jean Claude Luc, David López-Rey Lumbreras, Professor Hugh Macdonald, Bruno Messina (Artistic Director of the Berlioz Festival), Jean-Stéphane Michaux (of Caméra Lucida Productions), Patrick James Miller, Muriel Mironneau (Directrice de la communication, SeaFrance), Norbert Molina, Christophe Monge (aida38), Jim Morris, Peter Nicholas (Stars in Brass), Alison Palmer, Alice Pearson (Cover CD Editor of the BBC Music Magazine), Ronald Peterson, Valérien Pitarch, Patricia Pouchulu, Bennett Ramberg, Michel Raynaud,Ellen Reilly, Enrique García Revilla, lain Reynaud (General Secretary of the Association nationale Hector Berlioz), Alan Robertson (a director and member of the City of Glasgow Chorus), Bertrand Roulet, Thierry Rousselet, François Sachot (from Théâtre du Chêne Vert), Alain Salomon (of Radio France Bleu Isère), Bob Salvi, Pierre-René Serna, Jesus Sevari (of the Absolutamente company), Larry Simmons, Molly Skardon, Cyrille Songeur, Chantal Spillemaecker (Conservateur du Musée Hector-Berlioz), Didi Stewart, Hjördis Thébault, Conrad Tobler, Anja-Rosa Thöming, Dave Tomlins, Michele Troise, M. Antoine Troncy (Assistant de Conservation du Musée Hector Berlioz), Ralph Unterburg, Steven Van Impe, Mark Vendy, Sue Vernon, Olga Visentini, Davide Vittone, Heinz Peter Wacker, Christian Wasselin, Delmar Williams, David Winn, Leo Wong, Michael Wright, John Wrzesien and Douglas Yeo.

The Hector Berlioz Website was created by Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin on 18 July 1997; 
The Recent News page created on 27 December 2000.

© Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin

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