I'm familiar with some works by Hector Berlioz – those works that many might refer to as his “greatest hits” (“Symphonie Fantastique,” “Harold in Italy,” the “Roman Carnival Overture,” and more) – but I’m by no means an authority on the composer. Therefore, this week I thought I’d listen to one of his unknown works (i.e., unknown to me), and I landed on his Grande Symphonie Funèbre Et Triomphale. From an article at Wikipedia (HERE): “The French government commissioned the symphony for the celebrations marking the tenth anniversary of the July Revolution which had brought Louis-Philippe I to power, for which it was erecting the July Column in the Place de la Bastille. Berlioz had little sympathy for the régime, but welcomed the opportunity to write the work because the government had offered him 10,000 francs for it.” The symphony, one of the earliest examples of a symphony for military band, is comprised of three movements:
The work was first performed in Paris during a parade to mark the anniversary of the July Revolution in 1840. The 1st and 3rd movements were played during the procession, and the 2nd premiered during the dedication proper along with a reprise of the 1st and 3rd movements – a good thing since little of the 3rd movement could be heard above the cheering crowds during the parade. More on the history of the piece can be found HERE. So what did I think of Hector Belioz’s “Grande Symphonie Funèbre Et Triomphale”? I thought that it sounded a bit more than amateurish – as if a student in a composition class was given the task of writing a funeral march, and then completing the assignment with nothing but hackneyed conventions.
It’s a dirge all right. There’s a plodding beat. There are surging drum rolls and drubbing, monotonous thumps. There are dreary woodwinds and deafening brass. **yawn** It’s not terrible. But it’s not at all exalting or even interesting. In the second movement, “Oraison funèbre,” the “funeral oration” is given by a trombone. The trombonist in the video linked above certainly has a clear tone, but again – to me – the piece was a bit quotidian. Crashing cymbals and blaring brass return in the final movement along with a stouthearted chorus. Sure. Why not?
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A New Hope:As the header above says, each week I will listen to a piece of classical music that I've never heard before, and then I will report out what I thought about it. Archives
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