Hard to believe, but for 50 years Gounod’s Faust reigned as the world’s most popular opera. These days, it has fallen to No. 29 in popularity. Such demonic creatures as the Queen of the Night, Don Giovanni, and Salome have beaten old Mefistophélès back into the ground.
If Faust and the devil have any chance of resurrection, it will take productions such as this. Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in June 2004, the opera features such starry leads as Angela Gheorghiu (Marguerite), Roberto Alagna (Faust), Bryn Terfel (Méphistophélès), Simon Keenlyside (Valentin), and Sophie Koch (Siébel). Each of these artists, with the exception of Gheorghiu’s former husband, Alagna, was and remains at the top of their considerable form. And the conductor, Antonio Pappano, is among the best in the business, whipping up a storm in the orchestra pit.
What makes the production a must-see is Terfel’s Devil. His entrance, with his face mostly hidden under the wide brim of a black hat, is perhaps the only droll moment in an otherwise grim portrayal. With eyebrows shaped like horns, and a stare that could freeze the sun, the man’s larger-than-life presence rivets attention. And the voice is as magnificent as his acts are evil.
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Equally thrilling is Gheorghiu’s Marguerite. You will be hard pressed to find a “Jewel Song” sung with greater excitement. Technically, it is perfect, with beautifully executed trills and a high climax that speaks of covetous ecstasy. (“Covetous ecstasy”? If you want to hear what that can sound like, check out this DVD.) Her final-act madness is also splendidly enacted and sung. We who have seen Gheorghiu live at San Francisco Opera or in recital at Zellerbach Hall know that the voice is not very large, but that matters naught on DVD.
Alagna, who was 41 at the time of this performance, has received copious praise for his roles in French opera. His legato and sense of line are ideal for Faust. But years of singing heavy roles have taken their toll. The voice in 2004 remains all of a piece, but freshness and beauty above the stave are fleeting. Alagna can still give the illusion of softening, even if he cannot actually alter his volume or tone on sustained notes higher in the range.
Keenlyside’s darker-than-before baritone sings out powerfully as Valentin, while Koch creates a deeply impassioned Siébel with thrilling top notes. Even the dancing is often enthralling, with prodigious bare-chested male athleticism/gymnastics.
But just as there is a lot of dancing — this feels like one of those completist productions where not even the most tedious moments are cut — the production also serves up a lot of guilt, suffering, and retribution. Not even the surprises, which include an unconvincing fix of heroin and some gratuitous drag, can alter the fact that the final two acts of this three-hour production are heavy going. As fine as the sets, lighting, singing, conducting, and directing may be, and as memorable as many of the tunes are, Faust’s inescapable, black-and-white Christian cosmology will draw some in, and turn others away.