Berlioz: Grande Symphonie funebre et triomphale
October 21, 2010
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Grande Symphonie funebre et triomphale, op. 15 H80: Apotheose
Philharmonic Chorus Bonn
Music Corps of the German Armed Forces, Siegburg
Beethoven Orchestra Bonn
Conductor: Stefan Blunier
MP3 recorded in the Beethoven Hall, Bonn on October 8, 2010 by West German Radio, Cologne (WDR)
Three ensembles drawn from the region around Beethovenfest host city Bonn take the stage in this unusual work: Bonn's Philharmonic Choir, the Music Corps of the Armed Forces from nearby Siegburg and the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn. They join forces in a powerful rendition of the Grand Funeral and Triumphal Symphony by Hector Berlioz.
The symphony commemorates the French Revolution of 1830, in which King Charles X was overthrown. It was commissioned and originally performed ten years after the revolution as the graves of those who died were moved to the historical Place de la Bastille, the site where the first French Revolution of 1789 broke out.
In the final movement, Berlioz invokes the full range of the revolution's drama and bloodshed. Cymbals clash and snares flare as the choir sings, "Glory and triumph for these heroes, whose graves lie in the fields of the motherland!"
Author: Greg Wiser
Editor: Rick Fulker