Berlioz regarded the Symphonie fantastique and Lelio as a pair, but whereas both are strange and certainly original works for their time, the structure of the Symphonie is masterly as well as unique, whereas Lelio is controversial, to say the least. Edward Greenfield has engagingly described it as "dotty" and certainly its curious mix of spoken dialogue and music for soloists—including a Goethe ballad for tenor and piano(!)—chorus and orchestra cannot be said to hold together very convincingly. Moreover, the dialogue does go on somewhat, even when well presented, as it is here by Jean Topart. One can, on CD, programme out these spoken passages, and most listeners will be tempted to do so, at least partly (perhaps leaving in the touching closing monologue), especially since EMI have failed to provide a libretto or a translation. Besides using the idee fixe from the Symphonie, Berlioz drew on his own music to illustrate the speaker's soliloquy and obsessions, including a brigands' song and a fantasy on Shakespeare's Tempest.