Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9

Composer: BERLIOZ, (Louis-) Hector
  • Berlioz composed Roman Carnival Overture in 1844. The piece is based on melodies from his failed opera, Benvenuto Cellini, which premiered five years earlier.
    • Recycled music includes the protagonist’s Act I aria (“O Teresa, whom I adore”) and an Italian folk dance called a Saltarello that occurs in the opera’s second act, the carnival scene.1
  • Roman Carnival Overture was a massive success at its premiere and has become one of the composer’s most performed works, along with Symphonie Fantastique.2

Sources

  1. Herbert Glass, “Roman Carnival Overture,” Hollywood Bowl, accessed November 3, 2025, https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/musicdb/pieces/3090/roman-carnival-overture.
  2. “Program Notes: Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9,” Des Moines Symphony (2023), accessed November 3, 2025, https://dmsymphony.org/about/news/program-notes-berlioz-s-roman-carnival-overture-op-9/.

Cut IDs

40164 40758 42132 44928