L'enfance du Christ at La Monnaie

‘The main characteristics of my music are passionate expression, intense ardour, rhythmical animation and unexpected turns’ was how Hector Berlioz described his musical style in his Mémoires, and while referring to his oratorio L’Enfance du Christ. He rebuked the critics who claimed that it displayed a radical change in style compared to his earlier works, arguing that ‘the subject naturally lent itself to a gentle and simple style of music’. In this oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra dating from 1850-1854, Berlioz describes Jesus’ birth and early youth in the form of a sacred trilogy : Herod’s Dream, The Flight into Egypt and The Arrival at Sais. Ludovic Morlot leads an impressive ensemble of soloists and the La Monnaie Symphony orchestra and chorus through this extraordinary but little performed work by Berlioz.