The legend of Doctor Faust, exhorted by the demon Mephistopheles to sell his soul in exchange for eternal youth and knowledge, gave rise to a large number of musical adaptations, including those of Berlioz, Arrigo Boito, and Busoni. But the most famous is certainly Gounod’s Faust! Created in the Paris Théâtre Lyrique in 1859 on a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, this opera in five acts focuses above all on the love story between Faust and Marguerite, relegating the philosophical dimension of the plot into the background. Besides, is love not a way of life and a philosophy of its own? This is what the story of Marguerite seems to suggest, a woman who abandons any cultural relativism to reestablish the divine Truth. Thus it is no accident that in Germany, this opera is better known by the title of Margarethe, and that Bulgakov assigned to Marguerite a privileged place in his novel The Master and Margarita. Gounod’s Faust, fluctuates between realism and magic, reason and sentiment, provoking thought and reflection on fundamental questions of humanity that have animated great literature ever since.
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Watch Gounod’s devilish Faust on medici.tv
medici.tv is the best online platform for live streaming Gounod’s Faust, offering you a VIP ticket to the most famous productions with world-class artists captured in the best audio quality and HD video! In his Faust, one of the most appreciated and captivating operas in his repertoire, Gounod brings up questions that have haunted men from the dawn of time and that are nowadays more current than ever: where lie the limit of our knowledge, what is the meaning of love, where does it hide the devil’s laugh? Lend an ear to Mephistopheles’ seductive discourse, and walk your path to redemption together with Faust! On medici.tv you can find some of the best interpretations of Faust.
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A selection of our live streamed performances of Gounod’s Faust are available for free to all registered users, and the rest can be unlocked with a subscription. Our live video events stream right to your living room from the most famous concert halls, and you can watch them streaming on your biggest screens with AirPlay, Chromecast, and our new Roku app! On medici.tv, you will find some of the best adaptations of the legend of Faust, including Gounod’s Faust, interpreted by artists such as Joyce DiDonato, Philippe Jarroussky, and many others.
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Nowadays seen as a refined dance, the waltz was initially considered a scandalous dance because of the proximity of its dancers, who seemed to showcase their intimacy. Moreover, it was banned in the German court until 1812! The waltz developed towards the end of the 18th century thanks to the music of Strauss, both father and son, and Goethe himself played an important role in its diffusion, by entering a waltz scene in The Sorrows of Young Werther. Gounod, in homage to the German writer, whose Faust inspired him, placed a waltz-like rhythm into his Danse des Nubiennes, during the Walpurgis Night ballet. However, the seductive melodies of the violins and cellos in the final act of the opera are countered by a chorus of angels who, singing ‘Saved, Christ is risen’, bring Faust back to the right path. Dance with the devil or sing a hymn of joy: on medici.tv, the struggle between good and evil is only a click away!