11 Feb 2005

A Critical Edition of Faust at Frankfurt

Gounod’s Faust is often billed in Germany as Margarethe. The frivolous Frenchman’s melodies should not be confused with Goethe’s masterpiece. That would be blasphemy. Frankfurt Opera, not a house given to frivolity, has chosen a new critical edition of Faust. Minus the usual cuts, plus intervals, the evening lasts four hours. Add Johannes Debus on the podium, drawing plump, earthy sounds from the orchestra, and you start to hear Gounod with an earnestly German accent.

Faust, Frankfurt Opera

By Shirley Apthorp [Financial Times, 11 Feb 05]

Gounod's Faust is often billed in Germany as Margarethe. The frivolous Frenchman's melodies should not be confused with Goethe's masterpiece. That would be blasphemy.

Frankfurt Opera, not a house given to frivolity, has chosen a new critical edition of Faust. Minus the usual cuts, plus intervals, the evening lasts four hours. Add Johannes Debus on the podium, drawing plump, earthy sounds from the orchestra, and you start to hear Gounod with an earnestly German accent.

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