John Nelson Essentials

John Nelson was recognised as one of the greatest Berlioz conductors of modern times—his 2018 star-studded recording of the French composer’s epic opera Les Troyens was universally hailed as a new standard, an interpretation by which all others would be judged. You can hear a track from it in this playlist and also hear moments from his other Berlioz triumphs, including from the song cycle Les Nuits d’été and the so-called “dramatic symphony” Roméo et Juliette for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra. There are tracks from the colossal Grande Messe des morts, the “dramatic legend” La Damnation de Faust and another of Berlioz’s operas, Béatrice et Bénédict. Berlioz aside, there was so much more to Nelson, and he conducted most of the world’s most prominent orchestras and choruses in a wide variety of repertoire. You’ll hear supple, light-footed yet dramatic Beethoven and Mozart from the Orchestre de chambre de Paris, an ensemble he directed for 10 years from 1998. And there’s Handel opera and oratorio, too, both with the Orchestre de chambre de Paris and the English Concert, highlighting Nelson’s passion for, and mastery of, 18th-century repertoire.