Faust at La Scala: the thirst for life and the price of desire
Gounod’s opera, conducted by Daniele Rustioni, in a production that highlights the thirst for life, desire and the price of one’s choices
Charles Gounod’s *Faust* returns to La Scala in a new production conducted by Daniele Rustioni and directed by Johannes Erath. Running until 8 November, the opera brings together Vittorio Grigolo, Marina Rebeka and Alex Esposito in the leading roles. The production is a co-production with the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin and the Teatro Real in Madrid.
A score that blends seduction and unease
At the heart of *Faust* burns the hunger for life of a man who has questioned knowledge without finding comfort in it. Faust wishes to be young again so that he may feel once more, love, and possess time. Méphistophélès heeds that desire and paves the way for him, unleashing what was already hidden within his soul. Gounod, however, places the burden of the tragedy upon Marguerite. She bears the brunt of seduction, abandonment and the judgement of a nineteenth-century society ready to condemn the woman whilst absolving the man’s flight. The score follows this descent. The grace of the King of Thule’s song gives way to the sparkle of the ‘Jewels’ aria, the sensuality of the garden and the despair of the church and the prison. Faust wavers between romantic fervour and a desire for possession. Méphistophélès advances to brilliant, insinuating music, whose lightness heightens the sense of unease. Daniele Rustioni returns to conduct an opera at La Scala after more than ten years. His long experience at the Opéra National de Lyon has enabled him to deepen his understanding of the language and sensibility of the French repertoire. In *Faust*, he seeks the flexibility of the singing, the brilliance of the festival and the waltz, the intimacy of the garden and the deepening darkness of the drama. La Scala’s orchestra and chorus accompany the transition from celebration to tragedy.
The circus ruled by Méphistophélès
In his La Scala debut, Johannes Erath stages the eternal conflict between Heaven and Hell through a profoundly contemporary anxiety: the fear of no longer feeling anything, which drives us to seek out ever-new and exciting experiences. Faust thus becomes the symbol of a society dominated by narcissism and individualism, in which desire, constantly fuelled, turns into a never-ending pursuit, from one temptation to the next. The production follows the logic of a dream, where nothing is certain and every element may contain its own opposite. In this unstable space, Marguerite is a tightrope walker suspended between seduction and salvation, sustained by faith and destined to become the devil’s moral counterweight. In the finale, destinies are turned on their heads. Faust believes that freedom lies in starting afresh, erasing time and the consequences of one’s choices. Marguerite finds it by accepting her limitations and remaining true to her conscience. Those who seek to possess life become its prisoners, whilst those who endure suffering may still be saved. The set design by Heike Scheele, the costumes by Gesine Völlm, the lighting by Fabio Antoci and the video art by Bibi Abel follow the music’s rapid shifts in atmosphere. Vittorio Grigolo plays Faust, alternating with Julien Dran. Marina Rebeka sings Marguerite, alternating with Ekaterina Bakanova. Alex Esposito brings irony and corrosive force to the role of Méphistophélès.
