Une soirée chez Berlioz

What was it like to spend a musical soirée in the company of French composer Hector Berlioz? This fascinating album partially answers that question. At its heart is an instrument that Berlioz played himself at social gatherings—a guitar built around 1830 which once belonged to the master violinist Paganini, and is currently housed in Paris’ Musée de la Musique. Its delicately voiced strings add a rippling effect in Thibaut Roussel’s performance of the guitar accompaniment Berlioz wrote for Benoît Pollet’s song “Fleuve du Tage”, and conjures an intimate nighttime aura in Zani de Ferranti’s “Les Regrets”. There are more historical instruments from Berlioz’s period to explore, including a Pleyel grand piano whose delectably harp-like sonority is showcased in Berlioz’s own “Danse des Sylphes”. Other highlights include mezzo-soprano Stéphanie d’Oustrac’s rich-toned account of Berlioz’s “Le Jeune Pâtre breton”, where a natural horn adds commentary, and Dalayrac’s delightful “Romance de Nina”, showcasing an 1830 Blaicher harp alongside voice and guitar.