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CHARLES-FRANCOIS GOUNOD
(1818-1893)
Faust (Abridged)
159:08
Opera in five acts
Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré
English translation by Christopher Cowell
COMPACT DISC ONE
Act I
1.
Introduction
7:03
Scene 1
2.
'Nothing! In vain I have probed'
6:14
Faust
3.
'Lazy little daughter open up your eyes'
2:55
Chorus, Faust
4.
'Can your God help me to know the truth?'
1:21
Faust
Scene 2
5.
'Here I am! You seem somewhat startled'
2:50
Mephistopheles, Faust
6.
'So bring me the bliss of careless excesses'
6:45
Faust, Mephistopheles
Act II
Scene 1
7.
'Beer or gin or wine or kvass'
4:55
Chorus, Wagner
Scene 2
8.
'Oh, sacred medallion from the sister I love'
1:45
Valentin, Wagner, Siébel, Chorus
9.
'Duty bids me leave this place'
3:50
Valentin
10.
'Cheer up, my friends!'
1:24
Wagner, Chorus, Mephistopheles
Scene 3
11.
'Pride of place to the golden calf!'
2:04
Mephistopheles, Chorus
12.
'Your song deserves our thanks!'
2:47
Chorus, Valentin, Wagner, Mephistopheles, Siébel
13.
'Though the fiends of hell may defy resistance'
2:32
Siébel, Valentin, Wagner, Chorus
Scene 4
14.
'You haven't seen the last of me yet!'
1:33
Mephistopheles, Faust
Scene 5
15.
'Just as when the whispering breezes . . .'
1:16
Chorus, Mephistopheles, Faust, Siébel
16.
'May I presume to ask'
4:03
Faust, Marguerite, Siébel, Mephistopheles, Chorus
Act III
17.
Entr'acte
1:28
Scene 1
18.
'You must help me reveal the love I feel'
2:46
Siébel
Scene 2
19.
'Are we there?'
1:15
Faust, Mephistopheles, Siébel
Scene 3
20.
'Wait here for a while, Doctor Faust'
1:03
Mephistopheles, Faust
Scene 4
21.
'What turbulent feelings possess me?'
6:44
Faust
Scene 5
22.
'Be careful! Here she comes!'
0:43
Mephistopheles, Faust
Scene 6
23.
'He would have held my hand if I'd only allowed him'
6:36
24.
'A bouquet! It's from Siébel I'm sure'
5:22
Marguerite
79:33
COMPACT DISC TWO
Scene 7
1.
'Bless my soul, I'm dreaming!'
0:47
Martha, Marguerite
Scene 8
2.
'Dame Martha Schwerlein, I believe'
2:29
Mephistopheles, Martha, Marguerite, Faust
3.
'Please take my arm, they won't mind!'
6:56
Faust, Marguerite, Mephistopheles, Martha
Scene 10
4.
'And none too soon!'
1:52
Mephistopheles
Scene 11
5.
'It's very late . . . Farewell!'
7:03
Marguerite, Faust
6.
'Marguerite!'
4:39
Faust, Marguerite
Scene 13
7.
'Look there! She's opening her window . . .'
4:03
Mephistopheles, Marguerite, Faust
Act IV
Scene 1
8.
'They pass me in the street . . .'
6:32
Marguerite, Chorus
Scene 2
9.
'Marguerite!' 'Siébel!'
1:36
10.
'When happy days bring you gladness and laughter'
4:28
Siébel, Marguerite
Scene 4
11.
'Come along my brothers'
3:00
Chorus, Valentin, Siébel
12.
'We seek the soldier's immortal prize'
3:14
Chorus
Scene 5
13.
'Come on, Siébel, I need a drink or two!'
2:10
Valentin, Siébel, Mephistopheles, Faust
Scene 6
14.
'Is my love awake or sleeping'
2:51
Mephistopheles
Scene 7
15.
'What can I do for you?'
4:07
Valentin, Mephistopheles, Faust
Scene 8
16.
'Over here, come at once!'
1:49
Martha, Chorus, Valentin, Marguerite, Siébel
17.
'Pay heed to my words, Marguerite!'
5:07
Valentin, Chorus
Act V
Scene 4
18.
'Go back!'
2:14
Faust, Mephistopheles
Scene 5
19.
'My heart quails at the thought of this meeting!'
2:24
Faust
20.
'Ah! Do I hear my lover's voice?'
5:24
Marguerite, Faust
Scene 6
21.
'Make haste now!'
6:31
Mephistopheles, Marguerite, Faust, Chorus
79:35
Solo:Paul Charles Clarke tenor - Faust
Solo: Alastair Miles bass - Mephistopheles
Solo: Mary Plazas soprano - Marguerite
Solo: Garry Magee baritone - Valentin
Solo: Diana Montague mezzo-soprano - Siébel
Solo: Matthew Hargreaves bass-baritone - Wagner
Solo: Sarah Walker mezzo-soprano - Martha
Choral: Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
Orchestra: Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor:David Parry
27-32 July 1998
Notes
Gounod fell in love with Goethe’s Faust and began to write what was to become his most popular score in 1849. Of course the original stage play had to be adapted: characters and incidents are eliminated or conflated to suit the slower pace of opera. Faust’s complex psychology is boiled down to a struggle between lust and pure love; Marguerite is simple innocence betrayed and eventually redeemed.
The opera was premiered in 1859 and was favourably received, although various alterations were subsequently made. Gounod’s mastery of orchestration and, in particular, his gift for lyricism are both reasons for Faust’s continuing popularity: these are particularly well demonstrated in Faust’s Cavatine and in Marguerite and Faust’s extended Garden Duet in Act III.
An old friend of Gounod’s, the Abbe Gay, commented after the 1859 premiere: ‘The world has got into him and has chased out Jesus Christ’. That is an apt comment on a composer who found it hard to reconcile his twin stars: the love of God and the love of sensuality, something reflected in all his compositions.
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Reviews
''an exquisite Marguerite from Mary Plazas, who, while singing in English, demonstrates a convincing sense of French style. It's an elegant and immaculate portrayal'
Opera
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