Berlioz's anthem

The only god Berlioz had was Shakespeare and perhaps his wife Harriet Smithson. When it came to writing religious works such as this "Te Deum" or the magnificent "Grande Messe des Morts"(Requiem), Berlioz tended to really pull out all the stops! The Requiem requires five period orchestras(20-25 players), brass bands, ten pairs of kettle-drums and at least three huge choirs! Nothing is ever done small and in so many ways I recognize Berlioz to be the very embodiment of what it was to be a Romantic composer. He never could play an instrument properly, composed at a desk(couldn't play the piano) and yet wrote a treatise on orchestration that is still used today! He wrote a precursor to the Requiem in the form of his "Messe Solennelle" that was written in 1824. He had some truly amazing ideas at a time when composers didn't or weren't able to think of the future. To my knowledge there hasn't been a period performance recording done of the Requiem or Te Deum....that would be quite an experience!