Jacques Barzun, author of Berlioz and the Romantic Century, The House of Intellect, From Dawn to Decadence, and many other books, died yesterday at the august age of 104. Edward Rothstein’s superb New York Times obituary is here.
In memory of Barzun and his work, here’s a 2007 performance by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the BBC Symphony of the love scene from Berlioz’ Roméo et Juliette, one of the supreme masterpieces of Western art. Barzun, one of the composer’s foremost champions, did much to make it more widely known in the English-speaking world:
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
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