âOh! How can I find her â the Ophelia, the Juliet for whom my heart cries! To intoxicate myself with the anguish and joy that is true love!â LĂ©lio is a lover, a dreamer - and a composer. And if you think his name sounds a bit like Berlioz: well, we donât want to give too much away about 'LĂ©lio or The Return to Life' â the extraordinary autobiographical musical drama that Berlioz composed in 1831 at the height of an unrequited love affair. But itâs utterly unique: a delirious odyssey through the Romantic imagination, told in some of Berliozâs most flamboyantly original music. Conductor Pascal RophĂ© brings all his sense of theatre to this rare full performance which also features actor Samuel West. âLelioâ is proceeded by the composerâs Walter Scott-inspired 'Waverley' overture, and Karen Cargill in the sensuous and dramatic solo cantata, 'The Death of Cleopatra'.
This concert is part of âBerlioz - The Ultimate Romanticâ, a celebratory weekend of live and specially recorded concerts showcasing the ±«Óătv Orchestras and Choirs, as well as the Ulster Orchestra, marking the anniversary of the remarkable composer, writer, and master-orchestrator Hector Berlioz, who died on 8 March 1869.
