The French Druggist Vs. The Good Brother

[Bulldog]

Felix isn't doing so well against Schumann.  Maybe he'll improve when the opponent is Berlioz, but not in my eyes.

[Scarpia]

For me, a tie.  If you want Felix to do well, you need to put him up against von Dittersdorf.

[karlhenning]

Felix isn't doing so well against Schumann.  Maybe he'll improve when the opponent is Berlioz, but not in my eyes.

Nor mine . . . I have a 10-disc box of Berlioz works, and honestly, much as I like this or that work by Mendelssohn, I could not see a 10-disc Mendelssohn box on my shelf.

[Sergeant Rock]

My first reaction when seeing the poll was, of course, Berlioz by a mile. But you know, there are only a few works of his I love unconditionally: the Requiem, Les Nuits D'ete, Les Troyens, and, uh...nothing else I listen to much. Even the Symphonie Fantastic gets played more for the second and fourth movements than for the whole. As I said in the Schumann/Mendelssohn poll, I've yet to hear a Mendelssohn piece I didn't like and I can listen to the symphonies, the concertos, the overtures, the quartets, the piano trios anytime with great pleasure.

Sarge

[Scarpia]

I admire that Berlioz pushed the art of composition forward, but I can't say there is much of anything he wrote that I listen to more than once every five years.  Mendelssohn wrote pretty things, but did not advance the art so substantially.  But the Hebrides Overture si good.  (BTW, what's a Hebride?)  Well, maybe I have to give it to Felix.

[Josquin des Prez]

Well, Felix was the greater contrapuntist, but Berlioz's harmony is often very advanced. Bah, the heck, i'll pick Mendelsshon. Berlioz just isn't as intellectually stimulating for me, and both composers leave me emotionally dry at any rate.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Well now I get a chance to vote for Felix. That Violin Cto. really is still damn good after all these years. So are the "country" symphonies. And some of the chamber music, esp. the piano trios, is really nice.

Berlioz - an interesting character, but doesn't often bring me back for more.

[Gurn Blanston]

Nor mine . . . I have a 10-disc box of Berlioz works, and honestly, much as I like this or that work by Mendelssohn, I could not see a 10-disc Mendelssohn box on my shelf.

True, true. 10 disks just wouldn't do it. I think it takes a solid 30-40 to cover the things I like about Mendelssohn. I have 3 or 4 Symphonie Fantastique, I think the last time I listened to one was 2 years ago. I do like Harold in Italy though. You know, that was commissioned by Paganini but he refused to play it...

[DavidW]

Nor mine . . . I have a 10-disc box of Berlioz works, and honestly, much as I like this or that work by Mendelssohn, I could not see a 10-disc Mendelssohn box on my shelf.

Exactly what I thought too.

[Philoctetes]

Felix isn't doing so well against Schumann.  Maybe he'll improve when the opponent is Berlioz, but not in my eyes.

Nor mine. Such superb vocal works.

[Luke]

Berlioz by a long way. I prefer his empirically-found, do-it-yourself harmony (and the melodic style and the construction ditto) to Mendelssohn's more by-the-book approach, because it provides so many moments of unexpected and unrepeatable insight and beauty. For the Scene d'amour, the SF, the ST+F and the Nuits d'ete alone, he is very high in my estimation.

[Luke]

...but my vote didn't register, for some reason   

[Philoctetes]

...but my vote didn't register, for some reason   

SIONIST CONSPIRACY!
SOMETHING IS FOUL!

[DavidW]

...but my vote didn't register, for some reason   

The forum must not like Berlioz... or Suk...

[karlhenning]

. . . I do like Harold in Italy though. You know, that was commissioned by Paganini but he refused to play it...

But for shame, he arranged for Rothschild to give money to Berlioz, so that he could write Roméo et Juliette.

[Josquin des Prez]

You know, that was commissioned by Paganini but he refused to play it...

Paganini was offended because Berlioz didn't make the violin part virtuosic enough for him. When he heard the piece performed he liked it so much though that he rewarded Berlioz with a big fat check and some pretty lavish praise (i think he even referred to the latter as the "true heir of Beethoven").

[Josquin des Prez]

Berlioz by a long way. I prefer his empirically-found, do-it-yourself harmony (and the melodic style and the construction ditto) to Mendelssohn's more by-the-book approach, because it provides so many moments of unexpected and unrepeatable insight and beauty. For the Scene d'amour, the SF, the ST+F and the Nuits d'ete alone, he is very high in my estimation.

Mmmh, now you are making me recant my decision.

[MN Dave]

Mendelssohn blows. I'd choose Elgar or maybe even Dittersdorf over Mendelssohn.

[karlhenning]

Paganini was offended because Berlioz didn't make the violin part virtuosic enough for him. When he heard the piece performed he liked it so much though that he rewarded Berlioz with a big fat check and some pretty lavish praise (i think he even referred to the latter as the "true heir of Beethoven").

Viola, you mean, of course.  Berlioz's idea for the piece really was a symphony with prominent viola solo part . . . where Paganini had more of a 'traditional' concerto in mind, so yes, Paganini declined to play it.

[Brian]

Viola, you mean, of course.  Berlioz's idea for the piece really was a symphony with prominent viola solo part . . . where Paganini had more of a 'traditional' concerto in mind, so yes, Paganini declined to play it.

An extremely ahead-of-his-time move on Berlioz' part - like all of Berlioz' moves - since as far as I know the next symphony with prominent solo role would not appear until 1888.