Berlioz Requiem

BERLIOZ REQUIEM GRANDE MESSE DES MORTS Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra Chœur de Radio France Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris Conducted by Gustavo Dudamel Cathedral of Notre Dame Paris “If I was threatened with the destruction of all my works but one, I would save the Requiem,” wrote Berlioz shortly before BERLIOZ REQUIEM his death. Berlioz composed it in 1837, a few years after what GRANDE MESSE DES MORTS has surely remained his most popular work ever since its successful premiere, the Symphonie fantastique. The Berlioz Requiem requires an orchestra of immense size: a Conductor Gustavo Dudamel principal orchestra of 108 strings, woodwind and brass, no less Orchestras Orchestre Philharmonique than 16 kettledrums and a battery of percussion instruments de Radio France is augmented by four remote bands of trumpets, trombones Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and tubas. The choir consists of at least 200 singers. This Chorus Chœur de Radio France sacred choral work is one of the boldest and most complex Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris creations of music history, a vision of judgement, and Notre- Chorus Masters Lionel Sow Dame Cathedral in Paris provides the ideal spatial and Celso Antuñes acoustic conditions for its performance.

Tenor Andrew Staples Under Gustavo Dudamel’s direction, it was revealed as “a Requiem of the highest calibre” (El Pais). Both orchestras – Produced by Camera Lucida “his” Simon Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and Video Director Isabelle Soulard the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France that supplemented it – and the two choirs “set the vault and Length: approx. 90' columns of Notre-Dame de Paris vibrating” (Toute la Culture). Shot in HDTV 1080/50i Gustavo Dudamel dedicated the concert to the memory of Cat. no. A01050030 Maestro Claudio Abbado, who died a few days prior to the performance. A co-production of Camera Lucida productions, Radio France and ARTE France in association with UNITEL CLASSICA, in collaboration with Musique Sacrée à Notre-Dame de Paris et Notre-Dame de Paris with the participation of the CNC

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