Faust
Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré based on the legend of the same name and the tragedy by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The opera was written in 1869, in this stage version it will be presented for the first time in Perm in 2021
Performed in French with Russian subtitles
The opera Faust, based on the plot of the first part of Goethe's tragedy of the same name, was conceived by the composer Charles Gounod at the age of 21, and finished when he was 51. Over such an impressive time run, the idea of the composition changed, as did its form: from a comic opera with colloquial dialogues to a lyrical dramatic with melodic recitatives and the ballet scene "Walpurgis Night".
A medieval legend widespread in Germany tells of Dr. Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for love. But unlike the literary source, in Gounod's opera it unfolds not in a philosophical key, but in a lyrical-everyday one. The protagonist is consumed not so much by thinking about the meaning of life or learning the truth, but by the desire to experience love in all its fullness. Thus, he differs significantly both from Goethe's literary image and from his opera colleague - in the interpretation of Hector Berlioz ("The Condemnation of Faust", 1846/1893).
In the career of director Vasily Barkhatov, the Perm production will be the first and long-awaited work in Russia after a long break. Together with him, his constant co-authors, set designer Zinovy Margolin and costume designer Olga Shaishmelashvili, are working on the premiere.
