Harold en Italie (Harold in Italy), symphony for viola & orchestra, H. 68 (Op. 16)
Leonore Overture No. 2 in C major, Op. 72a
Fidelio, overture, Op. 72c
Die Weihe des Hauses (Consecration of the House), overture for orchestra, Op. 124
Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
Due to its status as a historic recording, this Archipel CD of Hector Berlioz's Harold en Italie may cause some listeners to hesitate to give it a try for fear of faulty sound, and they may even balk at the filler recordings of Ludwig van Beethoven's overtures for misgivings over the orchestra's low name recognition. Yet as far as archival reissues go, this disc has many positive points in its favor. First, while the sound of Harold in Italy is a little distant, slightly muted, and not fully resonant, which one might expect ...
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Due to its status as a historic recording, this Archipel CD of Hector Berlioz's Harold en Italie may cause some listeners to hesitate to give it a try for fear of faulty sound, and they may even balk at the filler recordings of Ludwig van Beethoven's overtures for misgivings over the orchestra's low name recognition. Yet as far as archival reissues go, this disc has many positive points in its favor. First, while the sound of Harold in Italy is a little distant, slightly muted, and not fully resonant, which one might expect of a remastered 1956 recording, it is thoroughly cleaned of tape hiss, relatively noise-free, and quite listenable. Second, the Berlin Philharmonic under Igor Markevitch is responsive to his direction and committed to the score, and Heinz Kirchner's viola is placed well to the fore, so the performance has much of the drama and excitement of a concerto, which was Berlioz's intention. Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3, the Fidelio Overture, The Consecration of the House Overture, and...
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