Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini / Davis

Gregory Kunde, Cellini; Laura Claycomb, Teresa; Darren Jeffrey, Balducci; Peter Coleman-Wright, Fieramosco; Isabelle Foster-Williams, Ascanio; John Relyea Pope, Clement VII; Andrew Kennedy, Francesco; Jacques Imbrailo, Pompeo; Andrew Foster-Williams, Bernadino; Alasdair Elliott, Cabaretier; London Symphony Orchestra; London Symphony Chorus; Sir Colin Davis

Between 2000 and 2003 Sir Colin Davis made six incredibly successful recordings of Berlioz's works on LSO Live. They garnered praise from around the world as well as collecting numerous awards.
Sir Colin returned to the cycle in late-20067 with an acclaimed recording of Berlioz's "L'enfance du Christ" and follows it with the opera "Benvenuto Cellini".
Sir Colin has had a special infinity with Berlioz throughout his career, having almost single-handedly rescued many of the composer's works from obscurity. As with so many of his compositions, Berlioz's flamboyant opera, inspired by the life of the Florence goldsmith, proved almost impossible to cast or stage. Yet even by Berlioz's standards it contains music of incredible inventiveness and beauty.
Joining Sir Colin on the new recording are a fantastic cast led by Gregory Kunde as Cellini and Laura Claycomb as Teresa. The recording was made during several performances at the Barbican in London during June 2007.
Concert reviews:
'Hearing this gargantuan score is like riding a gilded, stately carriage down a ski-slope. It may be insane but, as here, when it works it's thrilling' - Evening Standard (UK), June 2007
'In Davis's hands, its [the opera's] originality and imagination are fully vindicated. The cast attack the piece with skill and immense vigour. Gregory Kunde rises to the full stature of Berlioz's thinly disguised self-portrait of the artist as romantic hero. Davis' identfication with the score brings out the best in his forces, allowing this neglected work to register as a masterpiece" - *****, The Guardian (UK), 27 June 2007
Gramophone Editor's Choice - August 2008

Price: $28.98