Both Smithers and Landau should be made to listen to the Queen Mab vocal scherzetto and orchestral scherzo from Berlioz' "dramatic symphony" Romeo and Juliet before Smithers sets foot on the ...

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Berlioz’s “Roméo et Juliette” is not an opera but an elaborate “dramatic symphony” that calls for contralto, tenor, and bass soloists as well as a chorus. It’s indulgent, rich, over ...

So not at all melodramatic. From the moment he had seen her in the roles of Ophelia and Juliet, Berlioz was obsessed with a tormented love for the Irish actress Harriet Smithson. She was barely ...