Roméo et Juliette is the greatest and most satisfying of all Shakespearean works and inspired Berlioz to one of his best and successful dramatic symphonies. Intended for the concert hall, its musical core is purely orchestral, while the outer movements are choral and vocal, their function being narrative and more theatrical. Yet the whole piece coheres magically and no other work of Berlioz more perfectly demonstrates both his poetic and the individuality of his genius.