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Emma Birski / OnP

Opera

Faust

Charles Gounod

Opéra Bastille

from 28 June to 13 July 2022

3h45 with 2 intervals

Faust

Opéra Bastille - from 28 June to 13 July 2022

Synopsis

“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.

Duration : 3h45 with 2 intervals

Language : French

Surtitle : French / English

  • Opening

  • First part 50 min

  • Intermission 25 min

  • Second part 55 min

  • Intermission 20 min

  • Third part 75 min

  • End

Show acts and characters

CHARACTERS

Doctor Faust
Méphistophélès
Marguerite

Siebel: a student
Valentin: Marguerite’s brother
Wagner: a friend of Valentin
Dame Marthe: Marguerite’s neighbour

ACT I
The scholar Faust is grappling with growing old. He believes his best years are already behind him. Only the distant voices of young girls prevent him from committing suicide (N°1 Introduction and N°2 Scène et Choeur “Rien !”) Faust aspires to youth and lashes out at God (N°3 Scène “Mais ce Dieu, que peut-il pour moi ?”). At that moment a mysterious stranger appears in Faust’s house: Méphistophélès. He offers to give him back his youth. In exchange, Faust’s soul will belong to him after his death. Faust accepts the pact. A magic potion from Méphistophélès transforms him into a young man (N°4 Duo “Me voici !”).

ACT II
Faust and Méphistophélès go on a trip to mingle with people (N°5 Choeur général “Vin ou bière”). The soldier Valentin is about to be called up for military service. He draws strength and comfort from a gift from his sister Marguerite (N°6 Scène, Récitatif et Cavatine “Ô sainte médaille”). Siebel the student is also enthusiastic about Marguerite. He is in love with her. Méphistophélès disturbs the evening’s serenity. He provokes all present with a song (N°7 Ronde du veau d’or). When Méphistophélès also demonstrates his magical powers, the atmosphere changes (N°8 Scène et Choeur “Merci de ta chanson !”). Méphistophélès is chased away (Choral des épées). Faust and Méphistophélès set off for new adventures. During a dance, they meet Marguerite. Faust immediately falls in love with her. Siebel is forced to observe Faust’s attempts to seduce Marguerite. However at first she turns the latter away. Méphistophélès promises to help Faust win Marguerite’s love (N°9 Valse et Choeur “Ainsi que la brise légère”).

ACT III
A love-struck Siebel appears with flowers in front of Marguerite’s home. But his gift wilts in his hands (N°10 Entracte et Couplets “Faites-lui mes aveux”). Faust and Méphistophélès are also keeping watch in front of the house (N°11 Scène “C’est ici ?”). Faust is exhilarated by his love for Marguerite (N°12 Cavatine “Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre?). Méphistophélès brings precious jewels which he places in front of Marguerite’s door as a gift (N°13 Recitative “Alerte ! La voilà ! – Fuyons !”). In her room, Marguerite is still thinking about the strange young man she met at the dance (N°14 Scène et Air “Je voudrais bien savoir quel était ce jeune homme”). She tries to take her mind off it with a love story (Chanson du roi de Thulé). But when she discovers the jewels, the new experience of the precious gift plunges her into a state of excitement (Air des bijoux). Martha, Marguerite’s neighbour, advises her to accept the present. Finally, Faust and Méphistophélès come out of their hiding place (N°15 Scène “Seigneur Dieu! Que vois-je ?”). While Méphistophélès distracts a rapidly-impassioned Marthe, Faust goes for a walk with Marguerite (N°16 Quatuor “Prenez mon bras un moment !”). Once again, Marguerite wants to take leave of Faust. But, encouraged by Méphistophélès, Faust persists (N°17 Scène “Il était temps !”). Faust and Marguerite draw closer to each other (N°18A Duo “Il se fait tard !”). But when Faust hesitates to take the final step, Méphistophélès takes back control of the situation (N°18B Scene “Tenez ! Elle ouvre sa fenêtre...”).

ACT IV
Several weeks have passed. Marguerite is pregnant. And Faust has left her (N°19 Scène et Air “Il ne revient pas.”). Siebel has to admit that Marguerite will never love him. He promises that he will always be there to help her (N°20 Récitatif et Couplets “Versez vos chagrins dans mon âme !”). Alone, in a public place, Marguerite is tormented by forebodings. Méphistophélès frightens her (N°21 Scène de l’église “Seigneur, daignez permettre à votre humble servante”). Along with the other soldiers, Valentin is also coming home (N°22 Choeur des soldats). Siebel tries to conceal Marguerite’s pregnancy from her brother, but he is unable to prevent Valentin from going to her home (N°23 Récitatif et Scène “Allons, Siebel! Entrons dans la maison !”). Faust, too, wants to see Marguerite again. Méphistophélès sings a mocking serenade below her window (N°24 Sérénade “Vous qui faites l’endormie”). Valentin sees his sister dishonoured and mocked by Faust and Méphistophélès. Once again, he allows himself to be provoked and attacks them both. During the fight, he is mortally wounded by Faust (N°25 Trio du duel “Que voulez-vous, messieurs ?”). Faust and Méphistophélès flee. As he dies, Valentin curses his sister (N°26 Mort de Valentin).

ACT V
Faust and Méphistophélès hurry through the night (N°27 La nuit de Walpurgis et N°28 Bacchanale). In a vision, Faust sees Marguerite kill her newborn child. He wants to join her (Fin du N°29 Scène “Qu’as-tu donc?”). Faust finds Marguerite haggard and confused. Full of anguish and guilt, she refuses all help from him (N°30 Scène de la Prison). Méphistophélès exhorts them both to flee with him. Marguerite refuses. She no longer believes she can be saved (N°31 Trio final “Alerte, alerte!”). But redemption comes from unexpected quarters (N°32 Apothéose “Sauvée”).

Artists

Opera in five acts (1859)

Creative team

Orchestre et Choeurs de l’Opéra national de Paris

Media

  • The video projections in Faust

    The video projections in Faust

    Read the article

  • Imaginary Faust

    Imaginary Faust

    Watch the video

  • Singing to tell the tale

    Singing to tell the tale

    Watch the video

  • Draw-me Faust

    Draw-me Faust

    Watch the video

  • Recipe of the day: Faust

    Recipe of the day: Faust

    Watch the video

  • A new Faust for the Opéra Bastille

    A new Faust for the Opéra Bastille

    Watch the video

© Elena Bauer / OnP

The video projections in Faust

Read the article

Interview with Mathilde Jobbé Duval

04 min

The video projections in Faust

By Aliénor Courtin

Staged by Tobias Kratzer for the first time during in 2020, Faust was truly discovered by the public in 2022. This production, reimagined in a contemporary fashion, uses modern technology: video projections punctuate the story and participate fully in the narrative. To mark its revival on the stage of the Opéra Bastille, Octave met Mathilde Jobbé Duval, head of the video-sound team, who presents several techniques used, including live camera and frontal projections.

I have been working at the Opera for 17 years. Today, I am a audio and video production manager. I don't participate in the intital creative process, but as of the first technical run-throughs and stage rehearsals. My job, together with the whole team, is to study the project's feasibility and to do everything possible to bring it to fruition. It's always very satisfying to take part in creations because you really work on building something with the director and his teams.

For Faust, the director, Tobias Kratzer, and the video artist, Manuel Braun, came up with an ambitious video installation. A frontal projection on a tulle covering the entire proscenium combines pre-created images and live video.

Most of the videos were shot by drone in the streets of Paris during the lockdown. Others were taken from archive stockshots. For the scene of "La Chevauchée", two extras playing Faust and Mephistopheles shot the images in costume on the Champs-Elysées by night. Manuel Braun also chose to use special effects to animate certain images. This is the case of the scene showing Notre-Dame de Paris in flames.

Once all these images had been shot and edited, and Tobias Kratzer and Manuel Braun had selected the shots to appear on the screen, my job was to assemble the projection and make it as attractive as possible. I made corrections to colours and angles, cropping and harmonising formats. Most of my work is therefore prepared in advance so that everything runs smoothly during the performance. Then, during the performance, I make sure that the broadcast goes smoothly.

One of the most used video systems is the live camera. The soloists are filmed live by two cameramen who are two of the extras playing Mephistopheles' demons. I am in contact with them throughout the performance to assist with their movements and to check that the setting is clear before being projected live, depending on the camera feedback I see from my control room. This system is used in Marguerite's "Jewel Aria" scene and also in Dame Marthe's flat and in the metro.

© Charles Duprat / OnP

I am also in contact with the stage manager who gives me the cues. That is, she indicates the exact moments at which I should launch the images, according to musical cues. In the case of the live scenes, the camera sequences were defined when the production was created with the previous performer of Marguerite (editor's note: the performer in 2021 was Ermonela Jaho and in 2022, Angel Blue). The two singers do not follow exactly the same movements, so we have to adapt the sequence of images. It's still live! To sum up, as a video operator, I pay attention to the artists' movements and the stage manager to the music.

Tobias Kratzer's direction is very readable, the story is told literally so the videos are very realistic. Of course, some scenes are more fanciful than others, like that of "La Chevauchée". But it remains a narrative video, every frame moves the story forward.

Imaginary Faust

Watch the video

A repertoire work narrated in a visual poem born of popular culture

1:03 min

Imaginary Faust

By Marc de Pierrefeu, Marion Mirande

“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.  

© Elena Bauer / OnP

Singing to tell the tale

Watch the video

Interview with Benjamin Bernheim

01 min

Singing to tell the tale

By Konstantinos Aspiotis

It's the story of a man who, upon reaching the twilight of his life, wishes for one thing alone: to recapture his youth. He achieves this with the help of the devil and in exchange for his soul. A multi-faceted character, the role of Faust in Charles Gounod's opera of the same name requires the performer to embody disenchanted old age whilst at the same time lending his voice to a romantic and lovestruck young man. Tenor Benjamin Bernheim explains all the vocal subtleties of the score and retraces the great tradition of French singing, without overlooking his special relationship with the Paris Opera.


Faust
Faust 34 images

Draw-me Faust

Watch the video

Understand the plot in 1 minute

1:35 min

Draw-me Faust

By Octave

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 which Goethe popularised, Gounod focuses on the love story and elevates the significance of Marguerite’s fall and ultimate salvation.

His decision to lighten the philosophical scope of the narrative allowed him to balance scenes where the supernatural called for something visually spectacular with a parallel microcosm governed by inner actions and feelings. Gounod’s score is a tour de force of melodic invention whose vocal composition reveals the composer’s skill at conveying sincere and immediate emotion.

German director Tobias Kratzer reflects on contemporary society’s obsession for eternal youth. With its sophisticated scenography, his production oscillates between hyperrealism and magic, the world of today and the eerie atmosphere of German romanticism.  

Recipe of the day: Faust

Watch the video

Ingredients of Tobias Kratzer's stage production

000:47 min

Recipe of the day: Faust

By Octave

© Eléna Bauer / OnP

A new Faust for the Opéra Bastille

Watch the video

Interview with Tobias Kratzer

5:10 min

A new Faust for the Opéra Bastille

By Octave

Staging Faust and getting to grips with one of the world's best-known operas? German director Tobias Kratzer takes up the challenge. He tells us how the French myth differs from Goethe's masterpiece and promises us a spectacular evening for his Paris Opera debut.  

Faust
Faust 34 images

  • [TRAILER] FAUST by Charles Gounod
  • [EXTRAIT] FAUST by Charles Gounod (Christian Van Horn)
  • [EXTRAIT] FAUST by Charles Gounod (Chœur des soldats)
  • [EXTRAIT] FAUST by Charles Gounod (Benjamin Bernheim et Christian Van Horn)
  • Faust (saison 21/22) - Acte 5, Orchestre et Choeur - Final

  • Faust(saison 21/22) - Acte 4, "Ce Qui Doit Arriver" (Florian Sempey)

  • Faust (saison 21/22) - Acte 4, Choeur "Quand Du Seigneur Le Jour Luira"

  • Faust (saison 21/22) - Acte 4, "Versez Vos Chagrins En Mon Âme" (Emily D'Angelo)

  • Faust (saison 21/22) - Acte 3, Quatuor "Mon Frère Est Soldat"

  • Faust (saison 21/22) - Acte 3, "Ô Nuit Étend Sur Eux Ton Ombre" (Christian Van Horn)

  • Faust(saison 21/22) - Acte 3, "Il Etait Un Roi De Thulé" (Angel Blue)

Access and services

Opéra Bastille

Place de la Bastille

75012 Paris

Public transport

Underground Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), Gare de Lyon (RER)

Bus 29, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91, N01, N02, N11, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Opéra Bastille 34, rue de Lyon 75012 Paris

Book your parking spot

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Opéra Bastille
  • Open 1h before performances and until performances end
  • Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82

Opéra Bastille

Place de la Bastille

75012 Paris

Public transport

Underground Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), Gare de Lyon (RER)

Bus 29, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91, N01, N02, N11, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Opéra Bastille 34, rue de Lyon 75012 Paris

Book your parking spot

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Opéra Bastille
  • Open 1h before performances and until performances end
  • Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82

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