Gounod: Faust [DVD] [2010] [NTSC]

This recording of Faust, made at the Royal Opera in 2004, is essentially a traditional production and with believable settings within the context of the story. Importantly it a features a top calibre cast on top form under the expert baton of Antonio Pappano.The main four characters are particularly impressive as one might hope for or expect. The larger than life role of Mephistopheles is ideally cast with Bryn Terfel physically dominating in a central role that enables him to make the most of his imposing presence. As he has demonstrated in his portrayal of Puccini's Scarpio, Terfel is very suited to darker roles and in this opera he has plenty of opportunity to show this to telling dramatic effect with convincing acting allied to an effortless mastery of the vocal challenges.Simon Keenlyside is equally fine as a singer/actor and he brings an equally strong portrayal to his characterisation of Valentin. He is still very much in his prime, vocally and physically and this makes for a convincing interpretation of his military role.Angela Gheorghiu brings her customary intensity to the role of Marguerite which dramatically must encompass the decline from innocence to insanity and then a rise to final redemption. This is not easy to portray convincingly and it is to Gheorghiu's credit that she is able to deliver these dramatic challenges so well while still completely delivering on the vocal aspects of the role.However, the most central role of all must be that of the title role of Faust. This brings a remarkable performance from Roberto Alagna who delivers what must be one of his finest performances to date. He too is fully in control of the vocal demands of the part and also of the shifting dramatic nuances of the role. He is also in good physical shape and is able to bring an extra dimension of genuinely fit athleticism to the portrayal.The supporting roles of Siebel, Marthe and Wagner are well delivered by Sophie Koch, Della Jones and Matthew Rose respectively and Pappano is on top form as conductor. The orchestra is very fine and responds to every demand without fail. The choreography and dancers are suitably effective as appropriate as is the chorus contribution.The booklet provides an interesting description and coverage of historical background detail.The camera work is fully involving but the predominately dark settings have led to rather over-contrasty imaging which might be the result of over-sharpening at the production stage of the processing. This is the weakest part of this product. The sound is excellent on the other hand and is presented in both DTS 5.1 and stereo options.Overall this is a very strong portrayal of Faust given by a top quality cast and in a believable setting. The recording is sonically good but the imaging could be described as a touch disappointing for 2004 standards. This might be rectified on a future reprocessing if the problem is simply that of over-sharpening. However it is also possible that this would not be a matter of concern for those not involved professionally with photography.Musically and dramatically this clearly gave the audience present on 19th June 2004 much satisfaction. I would suggest that it is equally likely that most purchasers of this disc would feel the same way and that it is certainly worth seriously considering as a potential purchase.

I saw this production alive and liked it despite its quirkiness. On video, it looks even quirkier, thanks to the use of not always so flattering close-ups. The idea is to move the action, based mostly on a late-romantic, conventionally operatic reading of Goethe's immortal work, to the times of Renoir, Monet, Degas, and Toulouse Lautrec. So no spinning wheel nor plaits for Marguerite, even though in one scene the devil wears his traditional demonic attire - but only to go to a masked ball. The sets are impressive too, and so is the choreography by Michael Keegan-Dolan, one of the most controversial dance and performance makers of our time - his "acted" version of the Romantic ballet Giselle set in Ireland was a triumph. Never seen many dance makers able to turn Faust's well known pompous waltz (thus a 3/4) into a cancan ( a dance that is normally in 2/8). Not to mention the splendid Giselle-like ballet at the end, complete with cannibalism...There are not many recordings of Faust on DVD, and this is, arguably, the best you can get. Roberto Alagna was here still at the peak of his career, long before the Aida scandal in Italy. His voice and his phrasing are superb, as demonstrated in the tenor's big aria "Salut demeure chaste et pure". Angela Gheorgiu is also perfect, despite that hideous blonde wig that accentuates her strong features and detracts from her beauty - making her look like the Big Bad Wolf disguised as a shepherdess in Disney's original Three Little Pigs. Luckily her intensely dramatic as well as sparkling singing - check her out in the Jewels Aria or in the great love duet - make you forget the wig and the Big Bad Wolf unintentional impersonation. The idea is to maker her look like the central figure in Monet's Bar Aux Folies Bergeres, one of the masterworks of Impressionism. But that, in my view, does not work that well. Simon Kennlyside is astonishing as Valentin - his "Avant de partir" will make you melt. Sophie Koch, in the rather ungrateful travesty role of Siebel adds a new dimension to the usually two-dimensional character. The devil is Bryn Terfel, and there could not be a better one. Every appearance of his is a scene-stealer, although he never impinges with his charisma and great voice on the others - as, for instance, some predecessors of his used to do at the end of the love duet, covering the music and the final lines with a never ending, hammish laughter. As for the orchestra, Pappano elicits all the late Romanticism you can wish for from the score. All in all it is great fun and the only digestible way to see Faust these days....

French opera can only be properly delivered by French singers, or at best by singers with excellent French pronunciation. In this performance, the only main principal who is French is Roberto Alagna and you can easily follow his words and understand what he is singing about.Fortunately, he sings the title role and I find him much better than in other roles he has done. For example, is not good as Radames in Aida, but again singing in French he is good as Don Jose in Carmen.Bryn Terfel makes an imposing Devil, but his French is a bit of a problem. Vocally, he is fine. Angela Georgiou sings a sympathetic and believable Margarita, vocally more than adequate and provides a good interpretation.The rest of the cast are good with no one shinning above the rest.Pappano conducts the score accurately and with some feeling. He is certainly much better than his successor at Covent Garden in conducting the latest performances of this production of Faust.The production by David McVicar is on the whole acceptable. He uses some odd staging props, like a balcony on the left-hand side of the stage that looks like an opera house box, coupled with a church organ on the right-hand side of the stage. Some of the street scenes do remind one of medieval Germany. ON the other hand, there are too many French flags being waved about which do not really match the story. On the down side, Faust with dark glasses in the 17th century?! Mephistopheles dressed in drag in Act V?! Why it looks cheap and adds nothing to the performance.On balance, it is an enjoyable performance worth acquiring.