La Damnation de Faust - Hector Berlioz - Opéra national de Paris

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La Damnation de Faust

Opéra Bastille - from 08 to 15 December 2015

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La Damnation de Faust

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Opera Hector Berlioz

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Opéra Bastille - from 08 to 15 December 2015

2h40 with 1 interval

About

In few words:

"Who are you, you whose burning look penetrates like the flash of a dagger and who, flame-like, burnsand devours the soul?"
- La Damnation de Faust, Part II, scene 5

“This marvellous book fascinated me from the very beginning. I could not put it down. I read it incessantly, during meals, in the theatre, in the street, everywhere.” And so it was, following the composer’s discovery of Faust Part One in 1828 that Goethe joined Virgil and Shakespeare to form Berlioz's trinity. Without taking the time to catch his breath, he set the verse passages of Gérard de Nerval’s translation to music and published them under the title Huit scènes de Faust. Eighteen years later, during his travels “in Austria, Hungary, Bohemia and Silesia” he decided to revise and develop the material into La Damnation de Faust, whereupon the same feverish urge took hold of him.

“Once underway, I wrote the missing verses as the musical ideas came to me. I composed the score when and where I could – in the carriage, on the train, on steam boats”. As if swept away by “the longing of too vast a heart, and a soul thirsting for elusive happiness”, Berlioz became one with his creation. The voice that invokes “immense, impenetrable and proud nature” is entirely his own, its extraordinary breadth transcending traditional forms to become a symphonic and operatic dream. Bringing out the dramatic force of this légende dramatique is a constant challenge that stage director Alvis Hermanis has willingly accepted. Philippe Jordan conducts the first installment of a Berlioz cycle which is to continue over several seasons. It also marks the return of Jonas Kaufmann and Bryn Terfel to the Paris Opera.

La Damnation de Faust

Légende dramatique in four parts (1846)

(1803-1869) After Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Translated by Gérard de Nerval In French

Music :

Hector Berlioz

Libretto :

Hector Berlioz

Almire Gandonnière

Conductor :

Philippe Jordan

Director :

Alvis Hermanis

Set design :

Alvis Hermanis

Costume design :

Christine Neumeister

Lighting design :

Gleb Filshtinsky

Video :

Katrina Neiburga

Choreography :

Alla Sigalova

Dramaturgy :

Christian Longchamp

Chorus master :

José Luis Basso
Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine / Paris Opera Children's Chorus

French and English surtitles
Conception of speech synthesis by Greg Beller
Marguerite :

Sophie Koch

Faust :

Jonas Kaufmann

5 > 20 déc.

Bryan Hymel

23 > 29 déc.

Méphistophélès :

Bryn Terfel

Brander :

Edwin Crossley-Mercer

Voix céleste :

Sophie Claisse

Rôle muet et dansé :

Dominique Mercy

Performances

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Gallery

1/9 :

2/9 :

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5/9 :

6/9 :

7/9 :

8/9 :

9/9 :

1/4:

« La Damnation de Faust » - Trailer

2/4:

« La Damnation de Faust » vue par Sophie Koch pour le Cercle Berlioz

3/4:

« La Damnation de Faust » vue par Alvis Hermanis pour le Cercle Berlioz

4/4:

Jonas Kaufmann à propos de La Damnation de Faust

Audio clips

Podcast | La Damnation de Faust - Hector Berlioz

About the work

Podcast La Damnation de Faust

Par France Musique
A visionary composer

By Philippe Jordan
Portfolio | Who is the Faust of the 21st century?

By Simon Hatab
The great debuts

By Octave

Partners

With the support of the Cercle Berlioz

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Exclusive Timepiece of the Paris Opera

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Sponsor of the Paris Opera initiatives for families

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Sponsor of the Paris Opera initiatives for young people and of the avant-premières

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With the support of AROP

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This production will be recorded for television.
A coproduction by the Paris Opera, Telmondis and Mezzo with support from the CNC and directed by Louise Narboni.
Broadcast live in cinemas on 17 December and as of 19 December on Culture Box.
Broadcast on France 3 and France Musique at a later date.

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Useful information

The Paris Opera