The 34th Bard Music Festival: Berlioz and His World

A singular composer, writer, and conductor, Hector Berlioz (1803–1869) is the definitive Romantic composer.

Drawing music and sound into dialogue with a wide range of cultural, political, scientific, and literary currents, the impact of his musical thinking and innovations is felt to this day. The 2024 Bard Music Festival will explore the many strands of Berlioz’s contributions and his crucial role in the musical life of nineteenth-century Europe and of today.

Program 9: An Evening with the Orchestra
Program Nine offers the chance to hear two little-known Romantic symphonies, both overdue for restoration to the canon.

Program 11: Faust and the Spirit of the 19th Century
A pinnacle of German literature, Goethe’s Faust reimagines the classic tale of the scholar who sells his soul to the devil as a complex philosophical drama. Touching on a host of Romantic themes, his retelling inspired music by some of the most important composers of the era, including Schubert, Schumann, Wagner, and Liszt.