Above: The Ghost of Hector appears to Aeneas; Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904)
Hector Berlioz's LES TROYENS is a unique masterpiece. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself, drawn from Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid. The two-part opera was composed between 1856 and 1858. Berlioz did not live to see a complete performance of the work.
Every time I listen to LES TROYENS, I'm thrilled by its power, mystery, and tragic sense of doom. The scene where the slumbering Aeneas is visited by the Ghost of Hector has become, over the years, a particularly moving one for me.
AENEAS:
"Oh, light of Troy!...Oh, glory of the Trojans!
From what fated region do you return? Your eyes are veiled.
Hector, what summons you back from the dead?"
THE GHOST OF HECTOR:
"Ah!... flee, son of Venus!
The enemy is within our walls! The whole of Troy crumbles!
A hurricane of flames engulfs our temples and palaces.
To save the soul of Troy
Pergamus commands you: Go, seek Italy!
After a perilous journey over the waves,
You shall found a mighty empire
That shall dominate the world.
There, a hero’s death awaits you."
The Trojan soldiers rush in, confirming that the city is being destroyed. Aeneas leads them into the fray.
PRISE DE TROIE ~ O lumière de Troie! - Nicolai Gedda - Plinio Clabassi - RAI 1969