“Oh! How can I find her – the Ophelia, the Juliet for whom my heart cries! To intoxicate myself with the anguish and joy that is true love!” Lélio is a lover, a dreamer - and a composer. And if you think his name sounds a bit like Berlioz: well, we don’t want to give too much away about 'Lélio or The Return to Life' – the extraordinary autobiographical musical drama that Berlioz composed in 1831 at the height of an unrequited love affair. But it’s utterly unique: a delirious odyssey through the Romantic imagination, told in some of Berlioz’s most flamboyantly original music. In a change to the originally advertised conductor, Pascal Rophé brings all his sense of theatre to this rare full performance, preceded by the composer’s Walter Scott-inspired 'Waverley' overture, and Karen Cargill in the sensuous and dramatic solo cantata, 'The Death of Cleopatra'.
This concert is part of ‘Berlioz - The Ultimate Romantic’, a celebratory weekend of live and specially recorded concerts showcasing the BBC 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. ‘Berlioz - The Ultimate Romantic’ runs from 15-17 February and all performances and this unique collection of broadcasts will be available on BBC Radio 3 and will be available for 30 days on BBC Sounds.
The BBC SSO’s concert in Glasgow will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 - presented by Mark Forrest. It will also be live streamed via the BBC SSO website and via YouTube (and will be available for 30 days on BBC iPlayer).
