There are times when the continuing obsession in musical circles for uncovering composers’ first thoughts concerning their works yields diminishing returns, as often, a creator will refine and improve. First is rarely best. That general observation is neatly turned on its head by the Opéra-Comique’s staging of what is a good approximation of Gounod’s initial version of his ever-popular opera Faust. Premiered at the Théâtre-Lyrique in 1859 (with a young Léo Delibes as a chorus master and Jules Massenet as a timpanist), it was an immediate success and had recorded some 308 performances at that theatre by 1868. The change from the first Faust to the operatic warhorse we know and love today came from the composer’s frequent tinkerings, often at the suggestion of management. Méphistophélès thus acquired his famous first act rondo ‘le Veau d’or’, the chorus got the toe-tapping ‘Gloire immortelle de nos aïeux’ and Valentin his famous aria ‘Avant de quitter ces lieux’ (this last piece was written by Gounod for Faust’s Covent Garden premiere, although he never sanctioned its permanent inclusion in the score, its place only confirmed in post-Second World War productions).
What Louis Langrée has done, alongside academics, musical historians and the director, is to get as close to Gounod’s first concept: a work sitting happily between tragedy and comedy with considerable emotional and psychological insight in a production first seen in Lille before coming to Paris with the same forces. It is a considerable success on its own merits in terms of musical and theatrical performance and a revelation to those who ‘know’ their Faust.
First laurels to Langrée, the Opéra-Comique’s music director who has made (and continues to make) such a success of his policy of restoring neglected jewels of the French operatic repertoire to performance. His conducting was vibrantly alive, sensitive to the needs of his singers and eliciting forthright idiomatic playing from a Lille orchestra clearly enjoying the experience. Tangy woodwind, incisive strings and brass with just the right flavouring of boulevard brashness made for an orchestral experience giving the greatest of satisfaction. Tempi were astutely judged, allowing Gounod’s lyrical voice to be heard and moments of focus and tenderness to be created.
It comes as no surprise that both director Denis Podalydès and designer Éric Ruf are hugely distinguished in the world of ‘straight’ theatre, both senior members of the Comédie Française, the latter its current general director no less. Ruf has created a central podium (in fact a revolve) onto which slide elements of the set, which, in varying combinations create each of the settings, as well as flying in furniture (the moment when Méphistophélès rises into the air in a wardrobe is a genuine coup de théâtre). Aided by deeply atmospheric lighting to create a world of shadows, this is one of most successful stagings of the opera this reviewer has seen. Podalydès matches the stage setting with detailed direction of the singers – Faust is made more introspective and self-aware than usual, while Marguerite’s character is given greater depth than the simple ‘put-upon innocent’ we are used to. Méphistophélès certainly does ‘conduit le bal’ in this production and is given the final moment before darkness and then end. Virtuosic direction. Add to all of this, Christian Lacroix’s masterly costuming which evokes a mid-nineteenth-century world obsessed with death, grief and mourning and a wholly satisfying stage picture is complete.
Not that all of this would have counted for much if the singers had not been up to both the dramatic and music demands; they most emphatically were. All native French speakers, they served to remind how vital the words and sonorities are in an opera which is so often sung by those with only the most rudimentary ability to form the sounds of the language, let alone bring meaning to what they are singing. They were all remarkably clear and were comfortable in spoken dialogue, while when singing, they made much sense of Jules Barbier and Michel Carré’s libretto as set by Gounod.
Tenor Julien Dran made much of the pre-rejuvenation Faust and revelled in his ability to bring ringing power to high notes as well as to float sound – his diminuendo of the top C in ‘Salut, demeure chaste et pure’ showed total command of his instrument. The production uses the thrilling cabaletta written by Gounod to follow the aria but which the original Interpreter refused to sing for its first ever performances; Dran distinguished himself in its full-throated execution. His is a voice which sounds in transition, perhaps moving away from a purely lyrical sound to something with greater power and incisiveness – there is certainly much in the repertoire he could explore.
Vannina Santoni has a full-toned lyric voice with remarkable smoothness throughout the registers and an ability to soar in high notes – her Jewel Song was particularly accomplished with trills and runs beautifully executed. Both she and Dran made for intensely believable ‘lovers’, and Santoni has the capacity to tear at the heart strings: ‘Il ne revient pas’ in Act III (not part of the standard edition) allowed her to bring genuine pathos to her character as she waits forlornly for Faust to return to her.
Completing the main trio, Jérôme Boutillier’s delightfully sinister Méphistophélès, relishing both music and direction, the personification of insistent evil. Savouring each and every line, using his voice to act throughout, his is a particularly fine devil, as far a cry from the stock demons we are wont to see. As fine an actor as a singer, he plays Faust’s puppet-master with both relish and aplomb.
With ‘lesser’ parts all taken with distinction – Lionel Lhote as Valentin made his death scene a highlight – and a chorus in the best of forms, it would be difficult to find fault with the entire enterprise. Certainly, the intention to bring the merits of Gounod’s original version of Faust to light over the ‘accepted’ version we all know has been fully justified in a production which demonstrates impeccable musical preparation and performance in the setting of an intelligent and complementary vision of the stage picture. This earlier version will not supplant the familiar score (as Mussorgsky’s ‘original’ Boris Godunov has done), but it deserves to be considered worthy of performance; only if a cast genuinely proficient in French can be found though.
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