Musical Review | Berlioz Benvenuto CelliniBy Nathan Auerbach
December 4, 2008 |
A performance of drama and comedy, the music develops complexity, contrasting brass and strings with orchestral voices. The finale is as brilliant as the music of Romeo et Juliette. |
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Head of Medusa c. 1545 -Benvenuto Cellini |
The opera is set in Rome during the celebration of Carnival, in 1532. It is an , with somber undertones.
The character of Cellina is based on Benvenuto Cellini, an Italian Renaissance goldsmith and sculptor who had been commissioned by Pople Clement VII to cast a statue of Perseus.
This performance embodies both the myriad strands of this ancient scene and the power of the Berlioz music.
Commencing with the intuitive performance of the overture, as the drama and comedy unfolds, the music develops in complexity, contrasting the textures of the brass and strings with orchestral voices.
The finale is as brilliant as the music of Romeo et Juliette and yet there is an overlay of something never heard before.
Hector Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini
