Fausto, een vergeten opera

An Italian Faust

Faust remains a fascinating character in opera, as was evident again last season with Gounod's opera. But who knows 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 enjoyed great success during performances at the Théâtre des Italiens in her hometown of Paris. Perhaps the influence of Rossini is still present in the opening scenes, but as the opera progresses, Bertin develops into a full-blooded Romantic composer.

Rediscovered

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