MSO: Hector Berlioz " L’Enfance du Christ"

Synopsis

The 150th anniversary of Hector Berlioz’s death in 1869 will be commemorated in 2019. An ancient story with a modern parallel, Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ tells the story of the Holy Family fleeing their homeland and relying on the kindness of strangers as they journey across the desert to safety. Tender, intimate and intensely evocative, this oratorio is a stark musical contrast to the wild pagan dervishes, choruses of the damned and huge orchestral forces more commonly associated with Hector Berlioz. In almost cinematic style, Berlioz paints the human elements of the story in a series of visual tableaux: an uneasy night in Rome, the world-weariness of Herod, the blind fanaticism of the soothsayers, the joys and griefs of Jesus’ parents, the shepherds’ kindness and the bustling welcome of the Ishmaelite household. Prepare to be moved to tears, Berlioz would be proud! Why it’s a must-see: “This piece is very unusual for Berlioz as most of it is quite intimate. This work has wonderful writing for the chorus, it’s very varied and the narrator (sung by Andrew Staples) is so colourful. The final chorus is to die for!” (Sir Andrew Davis).

Additional Info

• No: A17050008
• Composer: Hector Berlioz
• Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis
• Orchestra: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, MSO Chorus
• Artists: Sasha Cooke, Andrew Staples, Roderick Williams, Andrew Goodwin, Shane Lowrencev, Matthew Brook
• Production year: 2018
• Run time: 01:36:00
• Producers: Bluedog Productions, distributed by Unitel
• Format: 4K