| Gounod, Charles (1818-1893) | Faust |
| Opéra national de Paris | ||
| Lorenzo Viotti | Conductor | |
| Tobias Kratzer | Director | |
| Rainer Sellmaier | Set Designer, Costume Designer | |
| Michael Bauer | Lighting Designer | |
| Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris | ||
| Manuel Braun | Video | |
| Chœurs de l'Opéra national de Paris | ||
| Jose Luis Basso | Choirmaster / chorus director | |
| Benjamin Bernheim | Tenor | Faust |
| Ermonela Jaho | Soprano | Marguerite |
| Christian Van Horn | Bass-baritone | Méphistophélès |
| Florian Sempey | Baritone | Valentin |
| Michèle Losier | Mezzo-soprano | Siebel |
| Sylvie Brunet-Grupposo | Mezzo-soprano | Marthe |
| Christian Helmer | Baritone | Wagner |
“I want a treasure which contains them all! I want youth!”
Frustrated by the futile quest for knowledge, the erudite old Faust sells his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth and the beautiful Marguerite…
Reworking the legend popularised by Goethe, Gounod focuses on the love story and elevates the significance of Marguerite’s fall and ultimate salvation. Choosing to lighten the narrative’s philosophical scope allows him to strike a balance between scenes where the supernatural calls for the visually spectacular and others depicting a universe governed by inward actions and feelings.
Transposed to the present day, Tobias Kratzer’s Faust reflects on contemporary society’s obsession with eternal youth. His production’s sophisticated scenography oscillates between hyperrealism and magic, between the world of today and the mysterious atmosphere of German romanticism.
Reviews of Faust directed by Tobias Kratzer
