Berlioz, Liszt: Harold in Italy review – a connoisseur’s recital

Harold in Italy – inspired by Byron – consists of four orchestral scenes with solo viola. Berlioz wrote it for Paganini, violin and viola virtuoso, though he never played it. This disc links with another Romantic star performer, Liszt, a Berlioz devotee who transcribed Harold for viola and piano. If this is something of a connoisseur’s recital – whether for fans of the viola, Berlioz, Liszt or all three – its hybrid pleasures set it apart and there’s never the danger, as in the original orchestral version, that the viola gets submerged. Here, as played by Jennifer Stumm on her Maggini contralto viola c1600, with Elizabeth Pridgen the a sensitive accompanist (and soloist in Liszt interludes), the instrument truly shines.