Name: Season Finale
Start: 2025-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2025-05-02T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Grieghallen

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Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

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Bergen Filharmoniske Kor

Edvard Grieg Choir

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Mark Elder

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Håkon Matti Skrede

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Contralto

Jess Dandy

Alto

Tenor

Pierre Derhet

Bass

Bryn Terfel

Season Finale

Bergen

Norway

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Romeo and Juliet

Joshua Dos

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Spoken

When a company of actors presented a series of Shakespeare performances at the Odéon Theatre in Paris in 1827, one member of the audience was changed forever. He was the composer Hector Berlioz, who recalled the ‘thunderbolt’ effect those evenings of Shakespeare had on him.

The Bard’s work weaved its way through Berlioz’s career but it wasn’t until the composer’s third symphony that he would write a major work based explicitly on Shakespeare. Naturally, it was the balls, battles, anger, revenge and impassioned love of Romeo & Juliet that proved most irresistible.

Like the best Berlioz, his symphony based on the story of the star-crossed lovers is impossible to categorize. Not a word of Shakespeare’s text is used, and while the warring families are given voice by a double choir, the title characters are represented only by the orchestra. The result is the pinnacle of French Romanticism, the peak of Berlioz’s orchestral mastery, and under Principal Guest Conductor Sir Mark Elder, the culmination of our season at the Grieg Hall.

English

Hector Berlioz komponerte et av sine fineste verk, sin originale og utsøkte tredje symfoni, Romeo og Julie, etter å ha blitt inspirert av en forestilling med Shakespeares mesterverk i Paris i 1827, hvor Harriet Smithson, som han senere giftet seg med, var en av skuespillerne. I dette oppfinnsomme verket, bruker Berlioz orkesterkreftene til å uttrykke Romeo og Julies inderlige kjærlighet. Verkets solister og korkrefter har fortellende roller.

I boken Elder on Music sier Sir Mark Elder at Hector Berlioz er en av de historiske personene han gjerne skulle spist middag sammen med. Et måltid hvor han kunne få et innblikk i hans liv, og ikke minst, få svar på hvorfor han ikke skrev flere operaer. Var det fordi de ikke ble anerkjente eller var det fordi Berlioz selv ikke trodde på denne sjangeren lengre? Var Romeo og Julie en alternativ løsning? For komponisten selv er det ikke tvil om at verket hadde en spesiell og viktig betydning.

Det sies at symfonien var en hyllest til hans egen, helt personlige Julie, og til hans to store mentorer, Shakespeare og Beethoven. Richard Wagner var til stede på premieren 24. november 1839. Han glemte aldri hvilket inntrykk musikken hadde på ham. På partituret til Tristan og Isolde, som han ga til Berlioz tyve år senere sto det skrevet: "Til den kjære og store komponisten av Romeo og Julie, fra den takknemlige komponisten av Tristan and Isolde."

Kveldens dirigent, orkesterets første gjestedirigent Sir Mark Elder, har lenge vært en forkjemper for Berlioz’ musikk, og holder ved like en lang tradisjon i sitt andre orkester, Hallé i Manchester.

norsk

Season Finale by Berlioz, Fri 02 May 2025, From (2025/2025), Conductor Mark Elder, Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway

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