1864 VERSION CHARLES GOUNOD FAUST Aljaž Farasin • Carlo Colombara • Marjukka Tepponen Lucio Gallo • Diana Haller • Ivana Srbljan • Waltteri Torikka Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka Opera Orchestra and Choir Ville Matvejeff Act I 24:56 $ Scene 6: Récitatif: Je voudrais bien 1:32 1 Introduction 6:39 (Marguerite) 2 Scene 1: Rien!… En vain j’interroge – % Scene 6: Chanson du Roi de Thulé: Chorus: Ah! Paresseuse fille 8:27 Ile était un roi de Thulé 6:16 (Faust, Maidens, Labourers) (Marguerite) 3 Récitatif: Mais ce Dieu 1:09 ^ Air des bijoux: Charles (Faust) Ah! Je ris de me voir 3:57 4 Scene 2: Duo: Me voici! 8:41 (Marguerite) GOUNOD (Méphistophélès, Faust) & Scene 7: Scène: Seigneur Dieu... – (1818–1893) Scene 8: Dame Marthe Schwerlein 2:57 Act II 27:15 (Marthe, Marguerite, Méphistophélès, Faust) 5 Scene 1: Chœur: Vin ou bière 4:45 * Scene 8: Quatuor: (Students, Wagner, Soldiers, Citizens, Prenez mon bras un moment! 7:22 Faust Maidens, Matrons) (Faust, Marguerite, Méphistophélès, Marthe) 6 Scene 2: Scène: O sainte médaille – ( Scene 10: Scène: Il était temps! 1:47 Opera in five acts (1858) (London version, 1864) Récitatif: Ah! Voici Valentin – (Méphistophélès) Libretto by Jules Barbier (1825–1901) and Michel Carré (1822–1872) Invocation: Avant de quitter ces lieux – ) Scene 11: Duo: Il se fait tard – Scene 3: Pardon! 6:47 Scene 12: Scene: Tête folle! – Additional text by Onésime Pradère (1825–1891) (Valentin, Wagner, Siébel, Students, Méphistophélès) Scene 13: Il m’aime 13:53 Sung in French 7 Ronde du Veau d’or: (Marguerite, Faust, Méphistophélès) Le veau d’or est toujours debout! 1:56 (Méphistophélès, Siébel, Wagner, Chorus) Act IV 46:13 Faust ............................................................................................... Aljaž Farasin, Tenor 8 Récitatif: Merci de ta chanson! – ¡ Scene 1: Marguerite au Rouet: Choral des Epées: De l’enfer qui vient émousser – Elles ne sont plus là 8:05 Méphistophélès ....................................................................... Carlo Colombara, Bass Scene 4: Nous nous retrouverons 6:35 (Marguerite, Maidens) Marguerite ..................................................................... Marjukka Tepponen, Soprano (Chorus, Valentin, Wagner, Méphistophélès, ™ Scene 2: Marguerite! – Siébel, Faust) Récitatif: Mais ce n’est pas 1:23 Valentin ......................................................................................... Lucio Gallo, Baritone 9 Scene 5: Valse et Chœur: (Siébel, Marguerite) Siébel .............................................................................. Diana Haller, Mezzo-soprano Ainsi que la brise légère 7:13 £ Romance: Si le bonheur 2:51 (Chorus, Méphistophélès, Faust, (Siébel) Marthe ........................................................................... Ivana Srbljan, Mezzo-soprano Siébel, Marguerite) ¢ Scene 2: Soyez béni, Siébel 1:43 Brander (Wagner) ................................................................ Waltteri Torikka, Baritone (Marguerite) Act III ∞ Scene 3: Scène de l’Eglise: Citizens, Demons, Labourers, Maidens, Matrons, Soldiers, Will-o’-the-wisps 0 Entr’acte – Seigneur, daignez permettre... 10:18 Scène 1: Couplets: Faites-lui mes aveu 4:40 (Marguerite, Méphistophélès, Demons, (Siébel) Religious Chorus) Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka – Opera Orchestra and Choir ! Scene 2: Scène: C’est ici? – § Scene 4: Chœur des Soldats: Chorus Master: Nicoletta Olivieri Scene 3: Récitatif: Attendez-moi là 3:26 Ecoutez! Les voici! Venezvite! 6:24 (Faust, Méphistophélès, Siébel) (Marthe, Soldiers, Valentin, Siébel) Ville Matvejeff @ Scene 4: Cavatine: ¶ Scene 5: Récitatif: Allons, Siébel – Salut! demeure chaste et pure 4:40 Scene 6: Qu’attendez-vous encore? 2:03 (Faust) (Valentin, Siébel, Méphistophélès, Faust) # Scene 5: Scène: Alerte! la voilà 0:39 • Scene 6: Sérénade: Vous qui faites l’endormie 2:40 (Méphistophélès, Faust) (Méphistophélès) ª Scene 7: Trio du Duel: ‹ Scene 2: Chant bachique: Doux nectar, compositions undoubtedly spoke with great power to his up her ‘crime’. Her contrition enables her to unmask Que voulez-vous, messieurs? 4:01 dans ton ivresse – Scene 3: Qu’astu donc? 3:41 contemporaries. His operas similarly represent French Méphistophélès and to triumph over his power and (Valentin, Méphistophélès, Faust) (Faust, Chorus, Méphistophélès) 19th-century operatic culture at its peak. influence. Her reward is salvation and an apotheosis that º Scene 8: Mort de Valentin: Par ici, par ici... 6:45 › Scene 4: Scène de la Prison: Gounod first discovered Goethe’s masterpiece Faust in recalls the assumption of the Virgin Mary. The final theme (Marthe, Valentin, Marguerite, Siébel) Vat’en! – Le jour va luire – 1838, but his interest in this subject as an opera was fired of the libretto is the fantastic. Since the first performance Scene 5: Mon cœur est pénétré d’épouvante! 11:47 when a dramatised version of the Faust legend by Michel of Meyerbeer’s opera Robert le diable in 1831 Parisian Act V 29:02 (Faust, Méphistophélès, Marguerite) Carré entitled Faust et Marguerite was presented in Paris audiences had been bewitched by works which referenced ⁄ Scene 1: La nuit de Walpurgis: fi Scene 6: Finale: Trio: Alerte! 3:18 in 1850 at the Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique. Shortly the supernatural, and Faust benefited greatly in terms of Dans les bruyères 3:22 (Méphistophélès, Marguerite, Faust) afterwards the writer Jules Barbier approached Gounod popularity from this fascination. Through the depiction of (Will-o’-the-wisps, Faust, Méphistophélès) fl Apotheose: Sauvée! 2:39 with the idea of Faust as a subject for an opera and Gounod the fantastic, Gounod’s opera in addition offers numerous ¤ Scene 2: Scène: Jusqu’aux premiers feux du matin – (Chorus) responded positively. Barbier used Carré’s version as the opportunities for spectacular stage effects, such as the Chœur: Que les coupes s’emplissent 4:15 basis for the libretto which was subsequently supplied vision of Marguerite and Faust’s transformation from an old (Méphistophélès, Chorus, Faust) to Gounod. This first version of the opera used spoken to a young man in the first act, and Marguerite’s redemption dialogue to link Gounod’s musical numbers. Rehearsals in the final act. These themes and their spectacular began in 1858 at the Théâtre-Lyrique, which was run by realisation on the stage both explain the attraction of Charles Gounod (1818–1893) the impresario Leon Carvalho, who put Gounod under the work for 19th-century audiences and its subsequent great pressure to make numerous changes. When the decline in popularity during the 20th century. Faust first performance of the opera took place on 19 March 1859, it already differed significantly from Gounod’s The composer Charles Gounod was born in Paris, in 1818. Gounod’s first two operas, Sapho of 1851 and La original version. The work was revived by Carvalho in His father was an artist and his mother a pianist. She Nonne sanglante (‘The Bloody Nun’) of 1854, were not the autumn of the same year, when further revisions Synopsis became his first piano teacher and he flourished under her successful despite positive reviews from Berlioz. In 1855 were made to accommodate popular taste. In 1862 the tuition. His formal education took place at the Lycée Saint- his Mass for Saint Cecilia was first performed at the Church Théâtre-Lyrique moved its operations to a smaller theatre Act I Louis where he was a pupil until 1835. He studied music of Saint-Eustache in Paris. In this he blended the sacred in the Place du Châtelet, which necessitated further major with the Bohemian composer Anton Reicha, and following with the secular to great effect; its success established him adjustments. These alterations, and changes driven by Faust is set in Germany during the 16th century. The first Reicha’s death, in 1836 he entered the Paris Conservatoire. as a composer of note. His next opera, first performed in further productions in the French provinces and elsewhere, act talks place in Faust’s study. After having spent all Here he was a pupil of the operatic composer Fromental 1858 and based on Molière’s play Le Médecin malgré lui created a constantly varying text. For instance, for the his life in intellectual pursuits, Faust now realises that he Halévy, as well as Jean-François Le Sueur and Pierre (‘The Mock Doctor’), was comic. More significant was the London production of 1864 Gounod added the aria ‘Avant has achieved nothing of significance, as well as missing Zimmerman, whose daughter Anne he later married. His first performance of his opera Faust, given in 1859. This de quitter ces lieux’ to the second act for the popular his chances of love and his youth. He considers suicide, cantata Fernand won the coveted Prix de Rome in 1839, was to become extraordinarily popular and held the stage baritone Charles Santley. In 1866 the spoken dialogues pouring poison into a cup. He is about to drink this twice which allowed the winner to stay for three years in Rome at for many years. Its international success overshadowed all were taken out and in 1869 the opera reached its final form but stops each time when he hears a pastoral chorus the French government’s expense. While in Rome, Gounod his subsequent operas, despite their undoubted quality: as a grand opera when it was produced by the Paris Opéra, outside his window. Highly frustrated he damns happiness, studied the music of Palestrina and other composers Philémon et Baucis (1860), La Colombe (‘The Dove’) where all productions had to be sung in their entirety and science and faith and calls upon Satan to help him. of sacred music active during the 16th century. After (1860), Mireille (1864), and Roméo et Juliette (1867). a ballet was also mandatory, to satisfy the members of the Moments later Méphistophélès magically appears before completing his time in Rome he moved to Vienna where Between 1870 and 1874 Gounod lived in London, where Jockey Club who pursued a keen interest in the Opéra’s Faust. Faust confesses to him that, more than wealth, glory a Mass and a Requiem, which had been composed in he formed a choral society that was to become the Royal corps de ballet. or power, what he yearns for is youth. Méphistophélès tells Rome, were performed in 1842 and 1843.