DATES
Performance
Saturday, October 18th, 2008 @ 8:00pm
Belk Theater
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 @ 7:30pm
Belk Theater
Sunday, October 26th, 2008 @ 2:00pm
Belk Theater
Charles Gounod was one of France's premiere composers, standing alongside Jules Massenet and Jacques Meyerbeer. Born in 1818, he won the prestigious Prix de Rome before he was 20. But during his studies in Rome he focused not on the composition of opera, but sacred music. It was not until the reign of Napoleon III, in the mid-19th century, that Gounod's lyrical melodies would grace the opera house. Indeed, the aesthetic of France's Second Empire was perfectly suited to Gounod's refined melodies, harmonious orchestrations, and ordered lyricism.

The character of Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend in which he makes a pact with the Devil. The tale became the basis of a great number of works including musical works by Hector Berlioz and Franz Liszt, etchings by Rembrandt, numerous ballets, and most importantly, literary works by Shakespeare's contemporary Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Mann, and the famous novel by Goethe, the first part of which would become the model for Gounod's opera.

Originally composed with spoken dialogue, the first performances of Gounod's Faust in 1859 at the Theatre-Lyrique in Paris were not well received. It was up to the publisher Antoine Choudens and Gounod to revise the work into a grand opera with great spectacle. It subsequent performance in 1862 was a hit, ensuring its lasting place in the operatic repertoire ever since. Throughout the 20th century, Faust remained the most popular opera at the Metropolitan Opera, having received more performances at the Met than any other work in the repertoire.

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