Berlioz: L’enfance du Christ, Op. 25, H 130

André Cluytens recorded twice Berlioz’ sacred trilogy narrating the first days of Jesus, from Herod’s cruel chase of the newborns to the flight in Egypt. The later one featuring los Ángeles, Gedda and Blanc is justifiably famous, but the earlier one, made available here for the first time as an individual album, also boasts a splendid vocal cast including Hélène Bouvier, Jean Giraudeau, and Michel Roux.