In honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hector Berlioz, Universal has released this "sampler" of his works. There is only one work here that is complete: La Captive, a song for voice and orchestra. All the rest are excerpts, which is understandable given the large scale of most of Berlioz's output. And they are in more or less chronological order, which is somewhat unnecessary as a guide to his development. The musical traits that identify his work -- the scale, the pure drama, the use of orchestral color -- are there in the overture to the opera Les Francs-Juges, written while he was still a student at the Paris Conservatory. The majority of the excerpts feature
Charles Dutoit and the
Montreal Symphony or
Sir Colin Davis and the
London Symphony Orchestra. They and the other artists featured in these selections certainly do their best to convey the drama of each piece. The Sanctus from the Requiem alternates the controlled awe of
John Mark Ainsley's solo with the Hosanna sung shiningly by the Montreal Symphony Chorus, which is also featured in the hymn-like "L'Adieu des Bergers" from L'Enfance du Christ. The
BBC Symphony Orchestra gives an enthusiastic opening to the overture to Benvenuto Cellini, followed by
Nicolai Gedda as Benvenuto beautifully singing the romance "La gloire était ma seule idole." Other notable vocal performances here are by
Anne-Sofie von Otter in excerpts from La Damnation de Faust,
Jon Vickers in Les Troyens, and
Janet Baker and
Robert Tear, among others, in the Béatrice et Bénédict excerpts. This release definitely gives a tantalizing taste of what's in store for those just discovering Berlioz's works.