Berlioz conceived Lélio, ou La retour à la vie as a sequel to his Symphonie Fantastique, and intended the two to be performed together. The genre of Lélio is difficult to pin down. The composer calls it a "Monodrame lyrique," which isn't a very helpful description. There are multiple characters, and the score includes stage directions more detailed than those for most operas, including the instruction for part of the orchestra to leave the stage at one point, for no apparent dramatic reason. The eccentricity of Lélio's structure and the demands of the performing forces, to say nothing of its nearly inscrutable text, have kept it from enjoying the same popularity as Symphonie Fantastique. Lélio opens with the premise that the actions depicted in Symphonie Fantastique were only a dream, and the artist (here identified as Lélio, a composer) wakes to ruminate upon the meaning of life, love, art, etc. Mostly, though, he soliloquizes about Shakespeare, specifically Hamlet and The Tempest, the latter of which is the subject of an extended fantasia that ends the work. A large part of the piece is devoted to the narrator's spoken, unaccompanied meditations; given the length of the work, there is relatively little music. The most substantial, and the most fully developed and musically rewarding section is the Tempest fantasia, for chorus, orchestra and piano, four-hands, the text of which, inexplicably, is in Italian. The music shows the composer at his most imaginative -- fleet, magical, and charming, with orchestration that is characteristically odd, but effective.
The
Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Choir, conducted by
Thomas Dausgaard, perform with energy and polish. As Lélio, baritone
Jean-Philippe LaFont declaims the part dramatically and sings well in the few opportunities he's given. Tenor Sune Hjerrild capably executes his solo, but tenor
Gert Henning-Jensen sounds strained and wobbly. Chandos' sound is clean but somewhat remote. Lélio should be of interest to listeners who love Symphonie Fantastique, but it's unlikely to attract a large following.