About This Song
About "Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17: Part I, D'anciennes haines endormies" by Charles Munch
Berlioz opens his Romeo and Juliet with ancient hatreds stirring from sleep. Munch draws a dark, smoldering tone from the orchestra—low strings muttering, brass glinting like drawn blades. The tension is between dormant fury and fragile hope, a prelude that feels like a clenched fist slowly opening.