jmc's classics
In my previous post I mentioned The Infancy of Christ "L' Enfance du Christ (Opus #25) by Hector Berlioz. It is about the flight of the Holy Family in to Egypt based on Matthew 2:13. I have a copy of it in French conducted by Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the RCA label from the 1960's. This piece was written in French. Berlioz was French.
Berlioz was not very religious but he was impressed by other religious music such as oratorios and masses etc. He is mainly remembered for his Symphony Fantastique (Opus #14). I have a copy of that work also conducted by Munch but with the Orchestra of Paris but on the EMI label. Munch was Alsatian-French. Alsace is an area of northeast France that was part of Germany before WWl and has both French and German influence. Albert Schweitzer was also from there. Munch was a noted interpreter of Berlioz. I took French in college but don't understand it. There needs to be made some good Enlgish language CDs of This work and Bach's Passion and Christmas oratorios. There are many English language versions of Handel's Messiah. The Enfance du Christ tells of the Holy Family's flight in to Egypt after Harrod killed all of the first born males in Jerusalem. It lasts about an hour. It also sounds like an opera. Berlioz wrote several operas and other choral works. It was said that "Opera in English is like baseball in Italian".
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