Albert, Prince Consort
The main item in the concert was the first London performance of Hector Berlioz's Te Deum (1849), dedicated to the queen's late husband, Albert, Prince Consort. Berlioz's work is on an enormous scale, and would have overshadowed any companion piece other than one of the highest quality. Reviewing the concert, "The Times" said of "Blest Pair of Sirens":