Royal Albert Hall, London

Like the Mahler Symphony of a Thousand that Daniele Gatti conducted in this same hall last month, to splendid effect, the Berlioz Requiem requires special forces: not so much grandiose forces, unlike Mahler's, as a slightly enlarged normal orchestra and choir with special extras at crucial points. Berlioz never set out to write an overwhelming piece but aimed to provide one fitting for a grand state occasion, honouring the fallen Frenchmen of a recent war.