Berlioz: Béatrice et Bénédict

Shakespeare was a vital, inspirational figure for French composer Hector Berlioz, as he was for many other nineteenth-century writers, artists and composers. Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict – an opéra comique based on the composer's own libretto – was the first prominent operatic version to be made of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and its score combines the fizzing wit and human pathos of the original play. This characteristically chic, high-energy staging by Laurent Pelly for the 2016 Glyndebourne Festival sees Berlioz's own Shakespeare obsession added to the onstage gags brought to life by a largely young, consistently dynamic cast. In the pit, Antonello Manacorda leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra on sparkling form.