John Nelson – Berlioz review: Romeo et Juliette

One aspect of Berlioz’s reception misinterprets the master of devices as symphonic intoxication and a riot maker. But there is another way: using fluorescent color pigments, remarkable transparency even at high volumes, and pointed modeling of dramatic accents through solo sounds. Every accent is right with the Orchester Philharmonique de Strasbourg and John Nelson. Cyril Dubois sings meticulously on his own. Joyce DiDonato mesmerizes her verses in “Romeo” and, after a snakebite, breathes Cleopatra’s spirit with a sonic sophistication in which the subtle rhetoric transforms into a soulful breath. Christopher Maltmann, on the other hand, is more of a Bear Lawrence balsamic. In sonority, Berlioz’s genius becomes a perfect performance, which, for all its fluid eloquence and lively lightness, does not become a dramatic flyweight.

Berlioz: Romeo et Juliette op. 17 & Cleopatra

Joyce Di Donato (mezzo-soprano), Cyril Dubois (tenor), Christopher Maltmann (baritone), Koro Gulbenkian, Choir de Loner, Orchestra Philharmonic de Strasbourg, John Nelson (Conductor)
Erato

Joyce DiDonato

She has “a voice like 24 karat gold” (New York Times), and her recordings have been honored with the Grammys, ECHOS, and other awards, yet she always remains the down-to-earth Kansas girl – mezzo-soprano. .. extra