Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini (complete opera)

Berlioz's flamboyant opera Benvenuto Cellini is inspired by the life of the legendary Florentine goldsmith and Renaissance figure. Its first performances in Paris during 1838-39 were disastrous as it proved too great a challenge for the musicians of the day. Yet even by Berlioz's high standards it contains music of exceptional inventiveness and beauty.

CD Reviews:
"Davis and Co give Berlioz's joyous opera all the love and vitality it deserves. Perhaps it is predictable that any Berlioz recording by Colin Davis is somethng special, but that does not lessen its impact. This Cellini is filled with a sense of life at its most vigorous and Berlioz fans will not be disappointed."
(Editor's Choice Gramophone August 2008)

'Conductor and tenor are the joint heroes of this exhilarating release...Davis remains the supreme Berliozian of our day, brilliantly evoking the mercurial wit of the comic repartee...anyone who doesn't own this fabulous score should snap it up'
Classical CD of the Week
Sunday Times (UK), 27 April 2008

'As with previous instalments of the LSO's Berlioz cycle, this recording outshines Davis's version of 40 years ago in sound quality and maturity of interpretation. Berlioz's flamboyant portrait of the Renaissance goldsmith impresses with its sheer vigour and conviction, thanks to Davis's inspiration of orchestra, chorus and a cast led by Gergory Kunde Laura Claycomb ... this is a bargain'
Financial Times (UK), 27 April 2008

'No conductor today excels Sir Colin Davis in Berlioz's music and this performance of perhaps his most brilliant opera finds him in sparkling form. The American soprano Laura Claycomb is excellent in the coloratura role of Teresa, dominating the performance with her charm and vivaciousness'
Sunday Telegraph (UK), 27 April 2008