Let’s briefly address the elephant or rather demon in this particular review, as it were. Namely, what is it with the fascination of so many 19^th century composers with this classic Romantic literature – often considered the greatest work of German literature – Goethe’s “Faust”?

There is Hector Berlioz’s masterpiece, “La damnation de Faust”, which I recently reviewed in a typically masterful outing from the Bard Music Festival. There is Arrigo Boito’s powerful “Mefistofele”, perhaps his own single claim to a masterwork as a composer, in this case naming the opera for the villain of the piece.

Franz Liszt did his moody “ Faust Symphony’, while his son-in-law, Richard Wagner, did a “Faust Overture”. Oh, and let’s not forget Gustav Mahler who – while late to this particular party – based part two of his magnificent 8^th Symphony on the closing of Goethe’s work.

Lastly, of course, the iteration in question for this review, Charles Gounod’s “Faust”, an operatic staple. (And one, as I will admit after 50 years of attending opera world-wide, I was not terribly familiar with, having only seen once.)

So, again, the question – why?

It is this: could it be that in breaking away from the norms of classical music – with both Beethoven’s Ninth and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” having shown the way to a more free, passionate, emotional, and let’s say, more personal and indulgent world that could be open to musical artists, the theme of the story hit a chord?

That ‘chord’ being…that this particular story, clearly about the possibility to somehow have it all – love, desire, and everything the world offers – was made for the musical revolution we call the Romantic era.

The world was changing, and the romantic period reflected that intensely. This tale captured the longing and imagination of all these truly incredible artists so that they simply had to funnel their art into that very specific universe, where time could be reversed and love regained.

In which case, the proliferation of all those versions somehow starts to make sense. One could, perhaps, describe “Faust” as the primal tale for the age.

I am sure any opera and orchestral buff has his favorite Faustian interpretation.

Again, personal choice here, but each of the works I have cited above have different things to recommend about them. Berlioz is, to me, perhaps the most complete work, with its wonderful mesh of a story and music. Gounod’s clearly the most traditionally grand-operatic. Boitio’s opera, in sections such as the prologue and finale, can be stupendous and moving.

And though a different beast entirely, “Mahler’s 8^th” in Part Two perhaps towers above them.

We are all very lucky to have so many choices to observe musically and dramatically, how such a demonic deal could go – fatally – down.

The Berkshire Opera Festival certainly was picking a historical crowd pleaser for their summer production. And they also met the challenge of the piece, in this case the requirement for all the key role performers to be absolutely top notch. And, in at least one case, far exceeded what one might expect.

As the aging philosopher he is described as, who gets his wish to be young and in love, Duke Kim had a beautiful and passionate tenor. He conveyed the giddiness of getting all those years back. Then, upon discovering that, like free lunches, there are other things – like contracts – that deserve a second look.

Matching his powerful and often thrilling voice was the tremendous Raquel González as Marguerite who moved smoothly from resisting the entreaties of the besotted Faust, to her own rapturous singing, creating a duo with her Faust that, however each of them got there, made the sheer bliss of their young love vibrantly real. Definitely a voice to watch.

The other supporting roles such as Jarrett Porter’s Valentin and Sun-Ly Pierce‘s Siébel, Faust’s rival for Marguerite’s affections, were both perfect for the demands of the solos and ensembles. So, too, were Abbegael Greene and Kyle Dunn in their supporting roles.

There is one last role to comment on. When I saw my first Berkshire Opera Festival production, “Rigoletto,” with the then largely unknown Jonathan Tetelman as the Duke, I discovered that the company has a knack for finding great talent at a point in their rising careers when they were, quite clearly, ready to explode onto the world’s opera stages.

This applies to all the key performers listed above.

But there was one performance, one singer that really made that bit of Berkshire Opera Festival magic clear. As someone who must strut confidently between all the characters, weaving what will be an irresistible yet deadly web, Justin Hopkins as Méphistophélès was simply wonderful in absolutely all regards.

Hopkins displayed a smooth and wily bass-baritone that had him commanding the machinations of each scene with a sly and supremely musical wit. His physical performance combined both the fun of the character, playing with mortals, and also the seriousness of…well, when you make a deal with the devil, things turning out in quite unfortunate ways.

Hopkins is surely a name and a performer to watch, one I can see being thrilling in so many classic and modern roles.

As was normal for the company, the chorus, staging and dancing of this grand opera were carried out capably, with Jonathon Loy directing the multi-elements and drama of the five act pieces superbly. The orchestra led by conductor Brian Garman made all the telling moments of the beautiful Gounod score stand out.

They were ably supported with the choreography of Andrea Beasom and chorus master Geoffrey Larson marshaling the forces to great effect.

As the opera finished, I was already looking forward to next summer’s offering, the Verdi jewel, “La Traviata”. (Side note, my summer of Fausts is not quite at an end, with an upcoming Boston Symphony performance of Mahler’s 8^th.)

Each of the Fausts I have cited bring different aspects of Goethe’s tale to the forefront, each with its different ‘spin’ on what elements are key to the enduring power of the story.

And The Berkshire Opera Festival made sure the delighted audience understood and enjoyed why this classic grand opera was such a core interpretation of the timeless tale.