Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra mark 150 years since the death of Hector Berlioz with this recording of his tempestuous oratorio La damnation de Faust – a work born of the composer’s obsession with Goethe’s legendary tale. It’s a fable that defies definition – both a tragedy and dark comedy, with a central character both wise and despicable, and a play and epic poem in one. Sir Simon Rattle says, ”This is a tribute to the Orchestra, and a tribute to Colin Davis. All of my generation learnt our Berlioz from Colin and the LSO. I’ve grown up with this music, and as a weird kid in the music library where my sister worked, the Berlioz Treatise on Instrumentation was one of my bibles.”
