Faust:Paris, London, Barcelona, Toulon, and Venice...

Faust.
Toulon opera house 13.oct.2011

Antony Hermus Direction musicale
Paul Emile Fourny Metteur en Scène
Ruxandra Hagiu Assistante Metteur en scène
Erick Margouet Chorégraphie
Poppi Ranchetti Décors
Véronique Bellone Costumes
Jacques Chatelet Lumières
Sébastien Guèze Faust
Nathalie Manfrino Marguerite
Blandine Staskiewicz Siébel
Sophie Pondjiclis Marthe
Askar Abdrazakov Méphisto
Franco Pomponi Valentin
Marc Labonnette Wagner


Toulon opera house, packed 'paradis' on oct 13.
The opening of the lyrical season offered Gounod's popular Faust in Paris and London almost at the same period, plus a fine one, less mediatic, in Toulon, then a concert version in Barcelona and to be complete, Marseilles season opened with Romeo et Juliette which had not been performed in this house since 1995. Gounod is having a sort of revival this autumn around here!
Not to be forgotten in the Faustian family is 'La Damnation de Faust' in Nice Opera House, which was a great success. I managed to attend three of these performances out of six, and witnessed the televised Faust from Opera Bastille, which was meant to have the finest cast and orchestra in the capital, I suppose. Now I have some real doubts about it!
Four "Faust" and also an article in the very serious October issue of 'Le Monde Diplomatique' on what is making also the theatre season, Goethe's play, the second Faust he did not want to be published during his life time and that he finished at the end of his long life. The journalist who signs this article is analysing the hero Faust II in terms of social and economical meaning. The journalist gives a striking vision of Faust as a negative hero completely sold out to the system which finds it easier to dump worthless paper money into the market. Both Faust and Mephistopheles create this money and in the XVIIIth century, at the French court, John Law, printed the paper money and the Regence ended up in a financial crisis and bankruptcy.. a situation which is dramatically not far from what is going on around the capitalist world today...
In the opera, the hint to this economical aspect of Goethe's play is shown in the powerful aria 'le Veau d'or' during the 'kermesse'. It is not easy to imagine that it is the period of the Industrial Revolution in this work, and that the power of economy would become the new religion and still is.
Gounod, more than Massenet shows a strong religious belief in all his operas. Faust, with his devilish challenge, offers lots of religious hints; the last scene can be rather off putting according to the setting, but it will be saved by the music, like Marguerite is saved by her faith!
On oct the 13th, I set off to Toulon Opera House for this 'provincial' Faust, mainly because I was appalled by the hype made around the Bastille one thinking it was a waste of our tax money for a new production which I found ridiculous on my tv screen on Oct the 10th. I also had to back this Toulon Faust, being a South-Eastern citizen! Needless to say that the cast in Toulon was less prestigious on the paper than the Paris one, offering a cast of young French artists becoming well-known here and abroad like Nathalie Manfrino, Sébastien Guèze and the mezzo soprano Sophie Pondjiclis. The Russian bass, A.Abdrazakov, is already internationally known, I discovered him in Attila not long ago in Marseilles and appreciated his dark deep voice and powering acting on stage. I thought before hand that he had the right look for Mephisto!
What was going to be an average night at the opera became a real fine treat.
First of all because of the conductor, who made each aria sound like a chamber orchestra rendition on the chord side, I noticed for the first time how refined their parts were. And it has been like that throughout the whole opera with delicious music from the pit,the chorus and a fine balance, always, with the singers. It is a rather long musical piece and not an easy one, they managed to give a special and interesting rendition with little investement, at a complete different angle from the J-L Martinoty one in Paris.
Then, the fine setting made it worthwhile:
P-E Fourny's production has a modest setting inspired (to my own knowledge) by the ink sketchings in 'L'Illustration Française' style. Each scene has its black and white canvass, which occupies only one side of the stage and gives a romantic background, rather bare and therefore stimulating the imagination. The hints to the period, perhaps, pre - first world war, are craftily made through the costumes, the wounded soldiers,(Valentin's scene, back from war,and his well known 'Gloire Immortelle de nos aïeux), the first bicycles pushed by women workers (it could be the only hint to the Industrial Revolution,they looked like factory workers coming out of work and being bullied out of town by the soldiers )then the sketching of a carousel with Montgolfières. What I really liked is the arrival of Faust and Mephisto in a Montgolfière, singing while gliding over Marguerite's doorstep and garden ... all with style and economy...in black and white nearly all the time except for the touch of red concerning Mephisto's scarf and the bright red whig worn by his mute servant, a touch of fun in the underworld!!! The famous 'jewel song ' took place at the front stage on the church steps, where a jewel-casket was left on the floor, Marguerite picked it and the devil was there miraculously, kneeling behind her, holding the mirror, to help her out in this coquetry aria!
I only noticed three blue neon crosses which appeared at the last scene...and disappeared, that is not too bad after all compared to the abuse of crosses and machinery in the Paris one!



The singing was passionate, and it was moving, coming from singers who have the age of the role! Faust-Guèze and Marguerite-Manfrino are young singers, I have been used to listening to them either in Marseilles or Avignon and it is a real pleasure to see that they both blossom in their art. Sebastien Guèze was a fine Faust during the whole five acts and showed chemistry with Marguerite. His top notes were safer and more generous than in Mireille (he was Vincent), but above all the style of singing for this role was striking. I enjoyed the way he acted, his pains growing as Marguerite grows insane and as the poisonous charm works no longer in his veins,( he holds his arm) he does not trust Mephistopheles any longer, and suffers even more. Mephisto-Abrazvdor was somber, terribly effective in his command gestures, only his painted mask could show his terrific grin, with powerful singing, perhaps not so in his 'veau d'or'('the calf of gold' aria and its 'devil's gallop' rhythms) where he did not dare jump off the chair to finish the aria at the front stage, but it was enjoyable. It was even funny when Marthe was trying to seduce the devil! Valentin-Pomponi stole the show at the applause, he acted his scenes with brio; his malediction toward poor Marguerite and his death scene were stupendous, though I am not always happy with his voice (too harsh sometimes, I did not like his too violent Hamlet, and was surprised by his rather dull King of Spain in Le Cid),but in this scene which showed the pityful imagery of war,( wounded and dying soldiers, women and children being pushed by the army, some even ill-treated because they compromised with the Enemy...), he was very moving.


This rendition was also more complete: Marguerite sang the beautiful aria 'Il ne revient pas'(sung eight times) followed by Siebel 's second aria,'Si le bonheur' and both were a treat, nicely and heartily sung. Siebel-Blandine Staskiewicz was so convincing in his devotion to Marguerite, what a lovely young light soprano too! The ballet was performed entirely, with some charm and it was also good to see it again, knowing that Gounod did not like it, because it was breaking the dramatic tension.

What remains unsolved is whether Faust is good or evil? the young tenor played it with sincerity and love in the garden showing that the spell was quite an enchantment, and if they fell into eroticism, it was the real work of the devil, pushing both Marguerite and Faust to this end. In fact, the music is more tentalizing with the love duet 'ô nuit d'amour', and the flute... so much seduction in it, could it be from the devil? Most certainly when we hear the tortures of poor Marguerite:' 'partez.. partez vite.'.'
At the last scene, Marguerite is sanctified, she is even reunited with her baby, she holds the baby in her arms, the organ is playing in the church, her faith has saved her. Mephisto disappears... The tale is over, Faust is back in his study, old and weary..



link France Musique
Faust wins also the top award in Venice... Film festival!
A daring duet (Paris Garnier 1993) thank you to Coloraturafan for this precious uplaod: