• Hector Berlioz. Opéra semi-seria in two acts. 1837. Revised twice in 1852, the first time for Weimar under Liszt.
• Libretto by Léon de Wailly and Auguste Barbier, after the memoirs of Benvenuto Cellini.
• First performed at the Paris Opéra on 10th September 1838.

Cellini, commissioned by Pope Clement VII to make a statue of Perseus, is opposed by the papal treasurer Balducci, who prefers the sculptor Fieramosca and whose daughter Teresa plans to elope to Florence with Cellini. Fieramosca, jealous of Cellini and eager for Teresa's favours, is revealed hiding in her room and makes his escape. Thinking of his love, now his aim in life, Cellini receives money for the statue, which he promises to cast the next day, although Balducci has sent too little. He plans to elope with Teresa in the guise of a monk at the next day's carnival. Balducci is lampooned in a play arranged by Cellini, but the disguised monks bring confusion in which the bravo Pompeo, in monastic garb, is killed by Cellini, who escapes, while Fieramosca, who has overheard the plan of elopement and himself appeared in monk's habit, is arrested. Safe at home, Cellini tells Teresa of his escape, but Balducci and Fieramosca burst in, intent on Teresa's marriage to the latter. Meanwhile the statue remains unfinished, with no metal for the casting. Cellini seizes everything he can, including his own statues, and triumphantly creates the statue of Perseus.

The opera was unsuccessful at its first production in Paris and fared little better in revision in Weimar. In spite of the confusions engendered by the complexities of the plot, particularly in the second act, there is much in the score that deserves attention. The overture is a frequent part of concert repertoire. The overture Le carnaval romain (The Roman Carnival) is based on material from the opera. 55