Faust
Gounod's Faust is a Victorian melodrama relieved by some truly amazing music. It's also very conventional in form and needs a strong director to prevent it descending into bathos. The 2004 Royal Opera House production (seen live on BBC and available on DVD from EMI) certainly has that in David McVicar as well as a virtually unbeatable cast. The Draculettes sing the title and Marguerite, Bryn Terfel is Mephistopheles and Simon Keenleyside sings Valentin. They are all excellent. Terfel is truly terrifying as the Devil. Angela manages the full vocal and emotional range of Marguerite with aplomb and Roberto, besides singing magnificently, manages an emotional range and stage presence that I don't usually associate with him. Keenleyside doesn't have all that much to do but what he does have, he does very well indeed.
The production is set conventionally enough in France of the Second Empire and sets and costumes are fine but conventional enough (except maybe for the Christ bleeding wine) right up to Act V where things really hot up. The Walpurgisnacht scene starts with Bryn in a sparkly black ball gown and tiara and then moves into a highly effective ballet that mixes very classic ballet choreography with some truly disturbing elements. It's McVicar on very good form though with slightly less T&A than some recent efforts. The final scene is beautifully played and Angela is positively radiant as she chooses death and salvation over Faust and Mephistopheles.
Well worth seeing, especially if you have the DVD without the slightly irritating BBC inter act commentary.
Here's part of the Walpurgisnacht scene:
The production is set conventionally enough in France of the Second Empire and sets and costumes are fine but conventional enough (except maybe for the Christ bleeding wine) right up to Act V where things really hot up. The Walpurgisnacht scene starts with Bryn in a sparkly black ball gown and tiara and then moves into a highly effective ballet that mixes very classic ballet choreography with some truly disturbing elements. It's McVicar on very good form though with slightly less T&A than some recent efforts. The final scene is beautifully played and Angela is positively radiant as she chooses death and salvation over Faust and Mephistopheles.
Well worth seeing, especially if you have the DVD without the slightly irritating BBC inter act commentary.
Here's part of the Walpurgisnacht scene:
Click to view