Reviews
Each of the twelve essays gives the reader informative and intelligent insight into Berlioz, and each is very much worth reading. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty and professionals. -- CHOICE [James McCalla]

A valuable addition to Berlioz scholarship....[Barzun's] extraordinary article should be required reading for all writers and speakers on music. -- AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

This book is not for the Berlioz beginner. It presumes some knowledge of the composer, then delves deeply into the topics, the fruit of bicentenary research. The essays are a valuable addition to Berlioz scholarship. --AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE July/August 2008 A diverse collection of twelve essays by outstanding Berlioz scholars. . . . The range of topics covered could scarcely be wider. . . . Barzun examines . . . music's ability to express -- and arouse -- emotions. . . . Gérard Condé's excellently written essay "Berlioz as Composer-Critic" shows the great value of Berlioz's journalism. . . . Hugh Macdonald convincingly speculates that much of Berlioz's initial excitement with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet . . . became absorbed into the Fantastic Symphony. . . . David Cairns adds wisdom and discernment. . . Readers with a special passion for Berlioz will derive great enjoyment from this admirably produced collection. Philip Borg-Wheeler, CLASSICAL MUSIC MAGAZINE

For all lovers of Berlioz, a splendid book from the leading experts on his life and music: detailed analysis of the music, large scraps of small histories, and an essay from Jacques Barzun on the possibility of the meaning of music. Go out and buy it! -- Sir Colin Davis

This volume is entertainingly and expertly written by leading scholars. It sums up recent thinking about Hector Berlioz and his world, and it points the way for future work. Indispensable for those who love Berlioz's music. --Thomas Forrest Kelly, author of First Nights: Five Musical Premieres, and First Nights at the Opera