(Credit: Julien Benhamou) Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” returns to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time since 2009. While recognized as one of the great works by its composer, it has not been a fixture at the Met by any stretch of the imagination. While it had its company premiere all the way back in 1896, it has only {…}
Conceiving an artistically defining experience that tells the story of Faust as an opera might seem overwhelming and too intense of an idea. Especially when one considers how this story was composed and experienced by Berlioz in concert form and that portraying Faust’s journey to hell, could be hell itself. In “La damnation de Faust,” Berlioz emphasizes the lord of {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” will be performed in a concert version instead of in Robert Lepage’s acclaimed production. The company announced that “The decision to present ‘La Damnation de Faust’ in its more usual concert version is driven by the unanticipated technical demands of reviving the Met’s staged production, which proved to be {…}
Hector Berlioz is one of the most influential French composers of all time. Born on Dec. 11, 1803, Berlioz was supposed to become a doctor like his father. But he opted for a career in music and soon found himself at odds with the musical establishment in Paris. However, he would win the Prix de Rome in 1830. His first {…}
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, born on August 28, 1749, is one of the great German writers in history. Unsurprisingly, his literary prowess has inspired a wide range of operatic works, many of which are staples of the canon. Here is a survey of operas based on the works of Goethe. Faust Goethe’s masterwork is undeniably the source of many operas. {…}
We are in the midst of holiday season and the opera houses in Europe are going as strong as ever. This week, we feature a company opening its season, among many other distinguished performances. Let’s take a look. Der Rosenkavalier – Vienna State Opera On Saturday, opera lovers in Vienna will get a chance to hear the Strauss masterpiece in {…}
Hector Berlioz has always stood as a controversial figure in the world of classical music. Born on Dec. 11, 1803, his legacy has been one of confusion for many artists. On one hand, he is seen as an incredible genius, whose music is among the richest ever written, his orchestration revolutionary. Others find his music ambiguous in quality, with only {…}
This week marks the opening of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and with it, a new production of “La Damnation de Faust.” Headlining the cast will be burgeoning tenor Pavel Černoch. The tenor, just 43, hails from the Czech Republic and had his first big break when he debuted at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich in 2009 as Števa {…}
Though not necessarily an opera in the traditional sense, Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” is usually presented as such. The work, which features solo voices, full chorus, and orchestra is more appropriately described as a hybrid between an opera and a cantata, the dramatic freeness of the work making it rather challenging to stage as an opera. Berlioz himself called {…}
Celso Albelo possesses a glorious instrument that allows him to sing a wide range of bel canto operas with great ease. But in speaking with the tenor, it became very clear that he doesn’t take a single thing for granted. He might be able to whip up a few phrases without thinking about it or throw off the highest of {…}