Am 21. Mai ist das Kammerensemble der J. S. Bach-Stiftung zusammen mit der Sopranistin Julia Doyle und dem Bariton Matthias Helm zu Gast im Berliner Dom.
21. Mai 2026 um 20:00
Berliner Dom
Tickets über den Berliner DomFriday, March 13, 2026
Hector Berlioz (Died on March 8, 1869): Mad Love, Music & Revolutionary Genius
August Prinzhofer: Hector Berlioz, 1845
From this image, we can see so much about the man: his unruly head of hair, which so often figured in the caricatures of the time, his highly fashionable clothes, and the discrete medal worn on the lapel.
Berlioz was born in southwest France, in the département of Isère. His father was a doctor, and a medical career was planned for their sole surviving son. He was the eldest child and had two sisters, Nanci and Adèle, both of whom were close to their brother throughout their lives. He was educated at home by his father, and music had no important role but did have a place: he learned recorder (flageolet) and later took flute and guitar lessons. The major difference between Berlioz and his contemporaries is that he did not study keyboards and, later in life, he considered this to be one of his unique advantages, as he was not tied to ‘the tyranny of keyboard habits, so dangerous to thought, and from the lure of conventional harmonies.’
In 1821, Berlioz entered the School of Medicine at the University of Paris. His father gave him an ample allowance, and he used it to evade his hated anatomy lessons and attend the opera. Elements that would be important in his later career had the groundwork laid here: he admired Gluck’s use of the orchestra, he admired the staging and orchestral sound at the Paris Opèra, and so he set out to take formal music lessons. Accordingly, he became a private pupil of Jean-François Le Sueur, director of the Royal Chapel and professor at the Conservatoire.
In 1824, Berlioz graduated with his medical degree, which he promptly abandoned. His father suggested a law degree, which did not meet with his son’s favour. Father did not approve of a career in music and cut Hector’s allowance several times in an attempt to bend him to his will, but to no avail.
He started his composition career at the highest level with his first major composition, a Messe solennelle. This was followed by an opera, Les francs-juges. The mass was suppressed by Berlioz and only rediscovered in 1991. Les francs-juges was never performed and survives only in fragments, parts of it reused in other works.
In 1826, Berlioz was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire, studying composition under Le Sueur and counterpoint and fugue with Anton Reicha. He immediately tried to win the Prix de Rome, which granted three to five years of study in Italy, funded by the state. His first three attempts at the Prix failed, and it was with his 1830 cantata, La mort de Sardanapale, that he was victorious.
In the meantime, Berlioz had been attending the theatre, and, despite not knowing any English, fell in love with Shakespeare and Harriet Smithson, the leading lady of Charles Kemble’s touring company. He pursued her for several years while she, wise one, refused to meet him.
Martinet rue du Coq St Honoré: Harriet Smithson as Ophelia in Hamlet, 1827–1833
(Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Musique)
Turning aside from the unresponsive Smithson, Berlioz fell in love with a 19-year-old pianist, Marie Moke, known as Camille Moke, and they planned to wed.
In December 1830, was the premiere of the work for which he is best known today: Symphonie fantastique. This drug-dream of a work broke all of the traditional symphony rules and, in doing so, created a more dynamic symphonic world. Liszt was at the premiere and sought out this radical young composer. Their friendship would last for decades.
After settling in Italy with the Prix de Rome, Berlioz fled the city when he found out that Camille had broken off their engagement and was intending to marry a much better prospect than a music student. Her new intended was Camille Pleyel, the heir to the Pleyel piano manufacturing company. Berlioz rushed north, complete with plans to murder Marie and her mother, and collected poisons and a pistol (and a disguise) to accomplish this. After arriving in southern France, he reconsidered his plans and asked to return to Rome. This was granted, but while in Nice, he wrote his King Lear overture (more of the Shakespeare influence).
Berlioz arrived back in Paris in November 1832 and, in December 1832, presented a concert of his works, including the overture of Les francs-juges, a revision of the Symphonie fantastique, and Le Retour à la vie (a sequel to the Symphonie fantastique), in which Bocage, a popular actor, declaimed the monologues. The room was full of celebrities, including Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin and Niccolò Paganini on the music side, and Alexandre Dumas, Théophile Gautier, Heinrich Heine, Victor Hugo and George Sand on the writers’ side. Also in attendance was Harriet Smithson, and so she was able to finally meet her long-time fan.
They not only met, but, 10 months later, married, the ceremony taking place at the British Embassy in Paris on 3 October 1833. On 14 August 1834, their only son, Louis-Clément-Thomas Berlioz, was born. Harriet could not return to the stage in Paris, mostly because of her inability to speak French fluently.
Berlioz’s time in Italy was instantly reflected in his music with works such as Harold in Italy, Benvenuto Cellini, Roméo et Juliette, Les Troyens, and Béatrice et Bénédict, all containing some of the sunshine and scenery of his visit.
Berlioz was commissioned by Niccolò Paganini for a viola work, and he responded with Harold in Italy, which Paganini turned down as there wasn’t enough viola, i.e., not enough Paganini, for the virtuoso’s taste. Paganini later regretted turning down the work. In one account, after a performance in Paganini’s presence, the great violinist, speechless due to his tuberculosis of the larynx, ‘…is said to have made clear to Berlioz his admiration of the work, kneeling before him and kissing his hand, and following this, the next day, by a present of 20,000 francs, brought to Berlioz by Paganini’s young son, Achille’.
To make money, in addition to his music, he also took up music criticism. He hated the work but was very good at it. Although he complained that his time would be better spent on his own music and not that of others, he was able to express his hates and loves in the current music scene. These articles were collected from his books, such as Evenings with the Orchestra of 1854, and also formed the technical part of his Treatise on Ornamentation of 1844, still used today.
In the 1830s, Berlioz attempted to take on the Paris Opéra, as opera composers were much higher on the social scale than mere orchestral composers. Unfortunately, operas such as his Benvenuto Cellini (1838) were more difficult than current singers were willing to endure – a weak libretto and poor staging didn’t help.
This caricature gives some indication of how the work was regarded by critics for his attempt at ‘Grrrand Opéra’.
Banger: Hector Berlioz and Malvenuto Cellini, 1837 (Gallica, btv1b8415753f)
On the concert stage, however, his dramatic symphony Roméo et Juliette caught critics and composers’ ears alike. His huge instrumental and vocal forces impressed the young Richard Wagner, who used what he heard there to create his Tristan und Isolde.
This caricature, where we will note the multitude of brass instruments and a cannon to add to the general uproar, as well as the audience, some of whom are shuddering away from the orchestra and covering their ears and others who are lifted to exult at the sound.
J.J. Grandville: Caricature of Berlioz from Louis Reybaud’s Jérôme Paturot à la recherche d’une position sociale, 1846 (National Library of Poland)
The 1840s saw some advancement in Berlioz’s career. The Paris Opéra hired him to update Weber’s Der Freischütz to a Paris standard; recitatives replaced the German dialogue, and the obligatory ballet was added, in this case, his orchestrations of Weber’s Introduction to the Dance. He wrote Les nuits d’été, based on the poetry of his friend Théophile Gautier. He started work on an opera to a libretto by Eugène Scribe, but never completed it. He published his influential Treatise on Instrumentation. He also discovered the joys of conducting his works on the international stage. The Germans were much more enthusiastic than his home audiences, and he could meet composers such as Mendelssohn and Schumann in Leipzig, Wagner in Dresden, and Meyerbeer in Berlin.
Unfortunately, his marriage with Harriet Smithson disintegrated due to both her jealousy over his success (and her sidelining) and her alcoholism, which became her comfort. He took a mistress, Marie Recio, and moved in with her in central Paris while Harriet kept their house in Montmartre.
His highly Romantic opera La Damnation de Faust hit the Paris stage in December 1846 but never brought full houses. Romantic operas were no longer the style of the day, and Berlioz hadn’t found the new key to the opera stage.
In mid-September 1848, Harriet suffered a series of strokes that paralysed her; Berlioz paid for the round-the-clock nursing and supported her until her death in 1854. That same year of 1854 saw his marriage to Maria Recio.
The summer of 1862, unfortunately, saw Marie Recio’s death. She was survived by her mother, who took care of the widower until his death.
Gustave Courbet: Hector Berlioz, 1850 (Musée d’Orsay)
His last great opera came at the suggestion of Franz Liszt and Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. They suggested he look to Homer’s Aeneid for inspiration. Thus was born the gigantic opera Les Troyens (The Trojans). Berlioz’s five-act, five-hour opera was too large for the Paris Opéra to consider, and he had to split the work over two nights: ‘The Fall of Troy’ and ‘The Trojans at Carthage’. The Trojans at Carthage received its premiere at the Théâtre‐Lyrique, Paris, in November 1863, but didn’t work. It had only 22 performances, and each night more and more was cut away. This so dispirited Berlioz that he wrote no more music after Les Troyens.
Berlioz continued his conducting career but wore himself out during a tour to Russia and returned to Paris, never again to have his health. He died at home on 8 March 1869, at the age of 65. He’s buried in Montmartre Cemetery with Harriet and Marie.
In his life, Berlioz constantly took up arms against the normal, the calm, and called for the Romantic life of the heart. Mad love affairs were his norm, and even the pursuit of his first wife was more the actions of a fan than a responsible person. He pushed French music out from the shadow of the German school and created a style that definitely wore its heart on its sleeve. Works such as his Symphonie fantastique have no precedent and show a wild originality that no other composer matched.
His late arrival as a musician and composer, without the solid background of the keyboard that every other composer took for granted, produced a composer who had a wonderful melodic sense, matched with a flexible approach to musical rhythm. Above all, he was a master of orchestration and continues to lead through his writings on the subject.
March 8 sees the 157th anniversary of Berlioz’s death, and we should reflect on all the ways that, even now, we cannot match this most Romantic of composers.
Hastings International Piano Competition 2026: A Showcase for Young Talent
Hastings International Piano Competition 2026 competitors
HIPC is a biennial classical piano contest held in Hastings, a seaside town in the south of England, with a long history dating back to the early 20th century through the Hastings Musical Festival. Piano luminaries such as Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein and Sergei Rachmaninoff performed at the White Rock Theatre in the 1930s. Previous festival adjudicators include Lady Barbirolli and composer Ruth Gipps.
The competition was revived in 2005 as the Hastings International Piano Competition, and over the last twenty years it has grown into an internationally recognised showcase, drawing young concert pianists from around the world who have the opportunity to perform with leading UK orchestras, such as the Royal Philharmonic and Sinfonia Smith Square. The competition is unique in that participants are required to perform movements from a piano concerto (accompanied by another pianist) from the very first round. Those competitors who progress to Round 2 will give a solo performance of 30-35 minutes, which must include a new piece commissioned especially for the competition by pianist and composer Sir Stephen Hough.
Sir Stephen Hough
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for a composer to hear a piece played many times and brought to life under many different hands. I simply want to write something which younger colleagues want to play – not so much a test piece as one which they will enjoy performing beyond the competition.” – Sir Stephen Hough, patron of HIPC
Vanessa Latarche
“There’s not a composer alive who understands the instrument better than Stephen, after all, and it will be fascinating to hear twenty different interpretations of the piece during the competition….” – Vanessa Latarche, Artistic Director
(Test piece for 2024 competition) Chengyao Zhou – ‘Time Unredeemable’ by Lera Auerbach
Chosen by an experienced pre-selection jury, who watched video auditions of 356 applicants from 46 countries, the 40 selected pianists – aged between 19 and 29 – will travel from 18 nations to compete in one of the world’s leading competitions for rising stars. They will be judged by, amongst others, Jean-Paul Gasparian, Scott Dunn, Boris Slutsky and Professor Vanessa Latarche, Artistic Director (since 2020) and Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music, London. Previous prize winners include Curtis Phill Hsu, Roman Kosyakov, and Kenneth Broberg.
2024 Competition FINAL – Curtis Phill Hsu
Interlude spoke to Vanessa Latarche, Artistic Director of HIPC, about the pleasures and challenges of managing an international piano competition, and what she and her fellow jurors are looking forward to in this year’s competition:
‘The pleasures include hearing fabulous music played by young people who are at the very top of their game, working with distinguished colleagues and the HIPC team to support young musicians. It is a particular pleasure to work with Steinway & Sons, who provide and prepare the beautiful instruments for the competition and look after them carefully throughout. We’re also very lucky to work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – it’s such a draw for the young pianists who reach the finals to be able to perform with one of the world’s truly great orchestras.
The challenges are many, including fundraising, audience building and logistics of arrangements in the seaside town of Hastings on the south coast of England.
We’re looking forward to hearing the array of talent we have, to hearing so many piano concertos with both orchestras and to hearing how the competitors handle the Stephen Hough piece and how they plan their programmes. And of course, to finding worthy winners who we will support long after the competition with engagements, mentoring and advice – we look forward to seeing them flourish!’
HIPC offers a prize package worth approximately £35,000, which includes career development opportunities, professional engagements (such as a recital at London’s Wigmore Hall and a concert with the Royal Philharmonic), and mentoring support. The competition is generously supported by Steinway & Sons and numerous sponsors and benefactors, including the Kowitz Family Foundation, which has supported the competition since 2009.
HIPC Music in the Meadow
Beyond the main competition, Hastings International Piano engages in education outreach and community activities through its Learning & Participation programme, bringing classical music to all – from school workshops and community concerts to pop-up pianos across the town and free tickets to the competition for community groups. For aspiring pianists of any age or ability level, Music in the Meadow is an opportunity to showcase the musical talents of the people of Hastings. A grand piano is installed in the Priory Meadow shopping centre, giving everyone the chance to play.
The competition opens on 26 February, and all initial rounds are free for the public to watch.
Find out more at https://hastingsinternationalpiano.org/.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
At the heart of Theatre Group Asia’s production of ‘A Chorus Line’
The “A Chorus Line” cast
As March signals the shift in the weather, it was a hot morning heading towards the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati, for the media event of Theatre Group Asia’s (TGA) first production for 2026, “A Chorus Line.”
The musical—conceived by director and choreographer Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and based on the book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante—has garnered nine Tony Awards out of its 12 nominations and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. And currently, “A Chorus Line” is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The musical is set in an audition. The dancers perform the opening number, and after the initial cut, only 17 dancers remain. The director, Frank, then tells them he only needs a strong eight-member dancing chorus: four women and four men. He calls them up one by one to share their stories as he wants to get to know them before making his final decision.
The lobby of the Samsung Performing Arts Theater was filled with dancers stretching and practicing their routines to help create the atmosphere and mood for the show. An extensive audition process was held to find the Filipino cast that went through Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, and as far as the United States and the UK.
As the program starts, associate director of the show, Jamie Wilson, plays host and introduces Frank—played by Tony and Grammy award nominee Conrad Ricamora—who then begins a special preview that includes a parade of the seventeen cast members. They do parts of the show and perform four song numbers to a keyboard played by the show’s musical director, Farley Asuncion.
A timeless classic
On a personal level, I have loved this musical since I was a child. I used to sing and dance to the CD of the original Broadway cast recording and had to stop myself from singing along during the song numbers at the previews. The voices were strong, the harmonies were tight, and the emotions ran true. It was an exciting taste of what promises to be an electric show.
TGA’s production of “A Chorus Line” is choreographed and directed by Emmy Award winner Karla Puno Garcia. After the event, I was able to talk to Puno Garcia and ask her about her vision. As someone quite familiar with the material, I asked whether she would keep the original choreography, if she updated it, or if she created her own.
“I did a little bit of everything you just said,” she answers with a laugh. “I had a conversation with Baayork Lee, the original Connie [of the original cast in 1975], and I wanted to know what was important to uphold with the original choreography. So we talked about a few things; it’s really more about ideas.”
She adds, “In the opening, it’s about competition, and in the finale, it’s about being one and cohesive. So I wanted to uphold these ideas in the work and bring myself to it.”
“I am so sensitive about how music makes me feel,” she adds when I ask her about the number “The Music and The Mirror.” This is one of the show’s highlights, as it is a song performed by a character named Cassie—to be played by Lissa de Guzman, who has played Princess Jasmine on “Aladdin” on Broadway in the national tour and is the first Filipina to play Elphaba on the national Broadway tour of “Wicked”—a dancer who was moved from the ensemble to a feature role but has since been unable to find work. She wants to return to the chorus, even though Frank thinks she’s too good for it.
It’s a gorgeous song that escalates and has an exquisite dance break. “What I love about the choreography is the idea that it is in her head,” Puno Garcia continues. She talks about Michael Bennet’s original choreography and the idea that the dance break is an imagined performance—married with how de Guzman moves and how she herself hears and feels about the music.
Puno Garcia goes on to add that: “When I take on any project, I don’t want to deny my own instincts, so I follow them. I am very proud of the fusion that I have created with the material. I don’t think you can do any timeless piece of art without honoring the original way it was built. So that’s where I began, and then I built something on top of it with what I know.”
Very close to home
De Guzman, who only sang “The Music and The Mirror” at the media event, is a triple threat—a seasoned singer, dancer, and actress—who infuses the song with so much longing. I asked her if she had any connection to the musical prior to getting cast. “I got to work with Donna McKechnie,” she answers. McKechnie was the original Cassie on Broadway in 1975 and won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.
She continues saying, “That was really special—I did “Wicked” with her; she was one of our Madame Morribles—and then growing up I listened to the music, and I know the show.”
“Honestly, the role of Cassie is very real for me,” she shares. “I started off in the ensemble. I was a swing. I was in the ensemble. I was an understudy. I did all of that. Like Cassie, she got plucked from the ensemble and then went off to stardom, and she’s now returning to the line. I went off to do principal [roles] on Broadway, and I am now, truly now, returning to the line. Returning to dance. It is very real for me. It’s very close to home.”
A love letter to the chorus
For many of the performers, during the Q&A session, they reveal that they relate to the characters and the dramatic situation of the musical. Many of them cite specific performers—from the original Broadway cast, to the Broadway revival, and even the West End productions. Not only is the material something all theater performers can connect with, but the cast seems so aware of the show, all the way down to its history.
When asked about the challenges of directing 17 actors, Puno Garcia responds, laughing, “In theory, it does sound very difficult, right? But this is our life. It is so natural and organic the way that this material resonates. And at the end of the day, you let the text speak for itself. You let the right people speak it, and it kinda stages itself. You just let it breathe.”
“What I want to honor is the show as a love letter to the ensemble,” she adds. “That’s what the show is about.”
Wilson then asked everyone to describe the show in three or less words. Each cast member gave their own take, but it was swing member Franco Ramos who said, “universal,” which made the most impact.
Because this isn’t just a show about theater performers. The audition in itself is a dramatic situation. The show is about everybody who has ever had to apply for anything they really wanted—something that they were truly passionate about.
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