Berlioz: Les Troyens
John Nelson (1941 – 2025)
Artistic Director, Soli Deo Gloria
Directeur Musical Honoraire, Orchestre de chambre de Paris
“John Nelson’s recording of Les Troyens is magnificent – now unquestionably the version of Berlioz’s masterpiece to have at home.”
The Guardian
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About
GRAMMY Award-winning conductor John Nelson (1941-2025) is recognised worldwide as having been one of America’s most eminent conductors and one of the leading interpreters of the music of Hector Berlioz. Over a remarkable five-decade career, he conducted the world’s foremost orchestras and opera houses, serving as Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, amongst others.
In 2018, Nelson stole headlines the world over by way of outstanding critical reception to his complete recording of Berlioz’s Les Troyens. Recorded for Warner Classics/Erato with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, and a star-studded vocal cast (including Joyce DiDonato, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, and Michael Spyres), the recording met with universal acclaim – amassing such accolades as the BBC Music Magazine’s ‘Award for Opera’, the International Opera Award. It was also hailed by Gramophone Magazine not only as ‘Opera Recording of the Year’, but also ‘Recording of the Year’, and was celebrated as ‘Recording of the Decade’ by The Sunday Times – proudly reinforcing Nelson’s work and authority as the world’s leading Berlioz specialist.
The outstanding success of Les Troyens was followed by further large-scale Berlioz recording projects and special events. Amongst these – La Damnation de Faust (2019), Harold en Italie & Nuits d’Eté (2021), and Roméo et Juliette (2022), again partnered by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg. To mark the 150th anniversary of Berlioz’s death, Nelson led a performance of Berlioz’s Requiem (2019) – in London’s iconic St. Paul’s Cathedral – broadcast by Medici.tv, and performed/recorded with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, which was described by The Telegraph as “a brilliant recording of one of the greatest pieces ever written”.
Over a career spanning some five decades, Nelson conducted the world’s leading orchestras and ensembles. In North America, this included the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Montréal, and Toronto. In Europe, he enjoyed working with such ensembles as the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Czech Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Gewandhaus Leipzig, London Philharmonic, London Symphony, Madrid Symphony RTVE, Orchestre de Paris, Oslo Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, and the Royal Philharmonc Orchestra. Across Asia, Nelson worked regularly at the top level, with the likes of China Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, New Japan Philharmonic, and the orchestras of Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou.
John Nelson studied at the Juilliard School in New York, where he received the Irving Berlin Conducting Prize. Over the course of his career, he served as Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, the Caramoor Music Festival in New York and the Orchestre de chambre de Paris. In addition, Nelson held the positions of Principal Guest Conductor of the National Orchestra of Lyon, Artistic Advisor of the orchestras of Nashville and Louisville, and latterly the Principal Guest Conductor of the National Orchestra of Costa Rica – the country in which he was born to American missionary parents.
Nelson was a champion of operatic repertoire, and conducted in the world’s greatest opera houses – from the Metropolitan Opera and Chicago Lyric Theatre, to the Opéra Bastille de Paris, Grand Théatre de Genève, the Dutch National Opera, and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. He is also recognised as a great interpreter of the sacred music repertoire: in 1994 co-founding SOLI DEO GLORIA – an organization based in Chicago that commissions works of sacred music from the world’s foremost composers, such as Christopher Rouse, James MacMillan and Roxanna Panufnik.
Nelson’s distinguished discography further includes Handel’s Semele (GRAMMY Award-winning), Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict (Diapason d’Or), and highly acclaimed DVDs of Bach’s B minor Mass and St. Matthew Passion, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. He also recorded the complete Beethoven Symphonies and Piano Concertos with the Orchestre de chambre de Paris. Amongst his final releases for the Warner Classics/Erato label was Handel’s Messiah (2023).
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News
Press
“John Nelson imbues the auditorium with the tension needed to sublimate the music of Berlioz, putting all instruments in the spotlight: the shimmer of the brass, the beautiful nuances and lyricism of the strings, the delicious oboe, the perfect set of cellos…. The concert, triumphant in every way, was enthusiastically received by a delighted audience – on their feet and endlessly re-calling John Nelson to show him their love and gratitude.”
Les affiches / Le Moniteur, 2024
“John Nelson highlights Berlioz’s incredible modernity like no other with a guillotine edge and an incredible sense of layering of sounds. It is music that carries and grips the entire body. He was acclaimed at great length for this evening. Long live this herald!”
ODB-Opera, 2024
“The concert, triumphant from every point of view, ends with bravi and prolonged ovations from a full house. Hand on heart, John Nelson gives thanks to an audience almost entirely on its feet and absolutely delighted.”
Olyrix, 2024
“The welcome John Nelson received was intensely warm from the moment he entered.”
La Croix, 2024
“John Nelson, continuing his acclaimed Berlioz series for Erato, has cast this recording luxuriously […] But it’s Nelson and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg who are the stars here. Nelson clearly loves his Berlioz, as Colin Davis did before him.”
Gramophone Magazine, 2023
“Nelson’s innate feeling for Berlioz’s individual style and striking combinations of instruments means that in this live performance there is much to admire.”
The Financial Times, 2023
“This recording of Roméo & Julliette marks the latest achievement in John Nelson’s magisterial traversal of the Berlioz canon.”
Limelight Magazine, 2023
“John Nelson’s interpretation is stylish, vibrant, and fresh.”
Classical Voice, 2023
“The work of John Nelson in Berlioz’s music is one of the glories of the present day. Nelson creates alchemical magic, and thank the stars that Erato has captured his astonishing performances.”
Classical Explorer, 2023
“It’s Nelson’s show, and the orchestral and choral work is magnificent. If you have not investigated his Berlioz series on Erato, I strongly advise you to do so.”
Opera Now, 2023
“John Nelson has proven himself as the leading living Berlioz exponent in spectacular recordings, becoming part of a legacy that will surely establish Nelson as one of the great Berlioz interpreters of our time.”
Opera Now, 2023
“Nelson’s conception held superhuman conviction; his grasp of instrumental colours is masterly. This was glorious Berlioz.”
Opera Now, 2023
“Thrilling – Electrifying – Ecstatic”
Classical Music Daily, 2023
“Without doubt, John Nelson is today considered as the finest Berliozian, and with this recording of Roméo & Julliette he further enhances his reputation with an interpretation overflowing with passion and flair, where his transitions from darkness to light are handled with exemplary assurance.”
Classical Music Daily, 2023
“Nelson is once again brilliantly on Berlioz’s wavelength, getting a performance from the orchestra that strikes sparks on the imagination.”
The Guardian
“Nelson conducts a fluent performance, at its best in Berlioz’s enchanting will-‘o-the-wisp delicacy.”
The Financial Times, 2019
“John Nelson’s recording of Les Troyens is magnificent – now unquestionably the version of Berlioz’s masterpiece to have at home.”
The Guardian, 2017
“The conductor John Nelson was clearly born with Berlioz in his genes and his commitment to its enchanting ballet interludes and martial swagger, as well as its impassioned romantic idealism, is absolute.”
The Daily Telegraph, 2017
“At present there are few conductors who, like John Nelson, can rightly be called ‘Berlioz experts.’ The Museumsorchester was transformed under his conductorship. The realisation of the instrumentation was breathtaking, unusual colour combinations emerged so naturally, the flow from light to shade was so transparent, so gripping the sprays of sparks, the dynamic peaks. And it was a joy to hear the choruses and singers being not only led, but lifted, transported. They seemed to be electrified, a current passing through them, from the triumphant opening notes to the final chord.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2017
“From the first to the last minute of this 5-hour performance John Nelson expertly controlled the timing, the polyphony, the balance of the powerful orchestra and choruses, reducing them to a minimum for the Dido and Aeneas love duet, and the intensity and tension of every phrase of this score, which he had totally mastered. This score, which for a long time was said to be unplayable, was here realised to perfection, and was held aloft before the audience at the final applause.”
Opera Online, 2017
“John Nelson proves to be a master at the desk of the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumorchesters and treats the drama of the music with differentiation. At the end of the evening he is deservedly greeted with tumultuous applause.”
omm.de, 2017
“Once again, John Nelson showed himself to be the most wonderful of maestri, who offered the public a tremendous performance. His prescient, precise cues and musical directions left nothing to be desired. Everything was just right, and the resulting performance was extremely and wholly gripping.”
Westdeutsche Zeitung, 2018
“We must first of all honour the energy and impeccable conducting of the renowned Berlioz expert, John Nelson. He was in total control, and directed the 350 performers in this great Romantic opera with perfection.”
Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, 2017
“Quite simply, one of the most exciting experiences this listener has ever had in the concert hall.”
The Atlanta Journal
“John Nelson took everyone to the summit. He has an intimate knowledge and a true vision of Les Troyens, developed over many years. He drew back the bow to its limit and made of this concert a great theatrical experience.”
L'Avant-Scène Opéra, 2017
“Maestro Nelson succeeds in giving us a recording (Handel L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato) that – in its ideal balance and crystalline clarity – is texturally superior, properly weighted at the appropriate points, and offers fastidious attention to the most minute details. The result is a presentation that is exceptionally imaginative and rewarding throughout, one that decidedly deserves a niche in our Classical Hall of Fame.”
Fanfare Magazine
“John Nelson’s temperament and heart return to some identifiable signposts for those who are drawn to the inner wonders of this visceral and shimmering journey… the corporate momentum in this reading is quite compelling… Nelson gets to the core of this work with his avuncular didacticism and genial control… true characterisation, tenderness, ardour and an attentiveness to detail [Schola Cantorum of Oxford] which fuels Nelson’s rounded and mature vision of the St Matthew.”
Gramophone Magazine, 2013
“What was offered was the finest music expressed with the highest sensitivity… elegant and virtuosic, a profoundly un-pretentious expression and dance-like grace became, under the sovereign direction of Nelson, a radiant painting of sound.”
Mittelbadische Presse, 2013
“John Nelson… clearly has the measure, as much as anyone, of this score (Beethoven Missa Solemnis, European Chamber Orchestra) and succeeds in conveying the urgency of his view with gestures and expressions that are eloquent and undemonstrative. It seems unlikely that Beethoven’s vision in this work will ever be more completely captured.”
BBC Music Magazine
“John Nelson conducted and the orchestra (New York Philharmonic) produced the liveliest, most polished and committed playing I have heard from it this season.”
The New Yorker
Recordings
