Les Troyens, by Hector Berlioz,
at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.
There are two varieties of
Berlioz. The first is the “subscription concert” Berlioz: the
composer known for his concert overtures, the Symphonie
Fantastique and, on a good day, the Harold en Italie viola
concerto. The characteristics of this variety are vivid
orchestral textures, memorable themes, agreeable brevity, and
lots of noisy bits. Then there is the “private” Berlioz. This
is much bigger category and runs from the vaguely familiar (Les
Nuits d’été) to the lesser known (L’Enfance du Christ, Roméo et
Juliette) on its way to the obscure (Lélio). Works of the
“private” Berlioz suggest a predisposition for the voice,
avoidance of the sonata form, a more pronounced degree of
literary inspiration, and a more extended development of musical
and literary themes. For various reasons, these works also pay a
considerably larger emotional dividend to the listener. Despite
their extroverted “subscription concert” qualities, Berlioz’s
three operas have more than their share of the obscurity of the
lesser known “private” works. The paradox is that one of them,
Les Troyens (The Trojans), is not only Berlioz’s greatest work,
but probably the greatest French opera of the nineteenth century.
Thirty years ago, one commentator wrote that the opera is “one of
the few neglected masterpieces of opera … which remains to be