In Revolution-era France, music supported the modern notion of government by, for, and of the people. Composer Hector Berlioz provided a stirring soundtrack for the Les Miz-type struggles of the people of 19th-century France — to whom all free people owe a mighty debt of gratitude.
This clip is from my one-hour public television special Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey, a greatest-hits panoply of Romantic and nationalistic music from seven different European nations. My role in the concert: tour guide — I had to provide a background of historical and cultural context to each composition. This is what I did for 25 years while leading our bus tours, and it shows the spirit of teaching that all guides at Rick Steves’ Europe Tours embrace, as we prepare our tour members to find both meaning and joy in new cultural experiences.