HECTOR BERLIOZ:

ROMÉO ET JULIETTE

with Sasha Cooke and Luca Pisaroni

San Francisco Symphony

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor

SFS Media

 ABOUT THE ALBUM

Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony bring unsurpassed storytelling to their latest recording on the Grammy Award-winning SFS Media label: Berlioz’s dramatic symphony Roméo et Juliette. With a narrative that Berlioz deemed "too beautiful, too musical" to not be performed, this Impassioned orchestral scoring of love and despair is further enriched by the vocals of Sasha Cooke, Nicholas Phan, Luca Pisaroni, and the SFS Chorus. Available in studio master-quality on two-disc SACD and for digital download and streaming.

 CRITICAL ACCLAIM

SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE

“Plus, for comic relief there’s not one but two Queen Mab scherzos…the vocal one is the highlight here. Nicholas Phan’s tenor voice dances lightly through this, with the Symphony’s superb chorus right on his heels.”

CLASSICAL VOICE OF NORTH AMERICA

“This Romeo shows off the high degree of polish that the SFS has acquired in the MTT years; every phrase is lovingly shaped, the drama inherent in the long orchestral orations brought out…The voices are young and fresh – the warmth of mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke in the Prologue, tenor Nicholas Phan’s agility in the Mab episode of the Prologue, and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni’s compassion and righteous authority as Friar Laurence in the Finale. The SFS Chorus again proves that it is one of the best in the world.” 

MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

“Tilson Thomas has selected his team of soloists adroitly, as they do full justice to the demands of this challenging work. The performance of American Grammy award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke is delightful; she is in such fine form, revealing her assured and secure voice. Excelling in his part too is American tenor Nicholas Phan, who demonstrates a lovely clear, expressive and colourful tone. Venezuelan-born and Italian-bred, bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni makes a strong impression in the demanding Friar Lawrence episodes, displaying his steady, rounded tone and expressive capabilities to significant effect.”

STAGE AND CINEMA

“Listening to the best parts of this exciting recording — the ‘Queen Mab’ Scherzo sung with vigor and humor by tenor Nicholas Phan; the Friar Laurence Aria superbly rumbled by the commanding Luca Pisaroni – it’s clear this work holds some of the finest music Berlioz gave us.”