Fausto, a forgotten opera

An Italian Faust
Faust remains a fascinating character in opera, as was once again evident last season with Gounod’s opera. But who is familiar with the version by Louise Bertin (1805–1877), who was the first to set Goethe’s play to music in 1831? Her Italian-language opera*Fausto*was a great success during its performances at the Théâtre des Italiens in her hometown of Paris. Perhaps Rossini’s influence is still present in the opening scenes, but as the opera progresses, Bertin develops into a full-fledged Romantic composer.

Rediscovered The title role of Faust is written for a mezzo-soprano, performed here by the Italian Raffaella Lupinacci, an expert in the bel canto repertoire. Soprano Yaritza Véliz, previously heard in the NTR Saturday Matinee with Mascagni’sL’amico Fritz, plays Margarita. The American-Belgian conductor Giulio Cilona makes a passionate case for this work, which was only fully rediscovered about five years ago.