GÜRZENICH ORCHESTER – GOUNOD, FAUST

Old Faust laments the life he has missed out on: he longs to be young and to enjoy life to the full once again! However, this can only be done by making a pact with the devil, which Faust enters into without thinking twice. The journey of the rejuvenated Faust goes into a world characterised by opulence and vanity. Only the girl Marguerite conveys the purity that Faust is actually seeking. But hell demands its victim: Under the influence of Méphistophélès, Faust destroys Marguerite and her brother Valentin. What was meant to be a path to happiness leaves behind a trail of destruction.

Gounod’s “Faust” (formerly also called “Marguerite”) went down in history as a popular grand opéra in a version from 1869. However, it was originally composed ten years earlier as an opéra-comique with spoken dialogue. This original version received its German premiere at Oper Köln in the 2020.21 season. Johannes Erath’s visually powerful production can once again be experienced on stage with chief conductor François-Xavier Roth on the podium.