BBC SO 2015-16 Season Berlioz: Romeo and Juliet

Conductor Laureate Sir Andrew Davis takes on Berlioz’s complete ‘dramatic symphony’, a re-telling of Shakespeare’s indelible tragedy with soloists, chorus and orchestra. Made possible by a gift of 20,000 francs from the violinist Nicoló Paganini, Berlioz’s epic Romeo and Juliet turned out to be one of his enduring masterpieces, and he came to view the Love Scene as one of his own favourite compositions. He warned, though, that it was hugely demanding, and required ‘long, patient rehearsal, impeccably directed’, just what you can expect from Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.