Charles Gounod (Born 1818; died 1893)
Composer Charles Gounod, responsible for some of classical music's true evergreens, began his musical studies early in life under his mother, a fine pianist. He entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied with Halévy in the hopes of becoming a composer. In 1837 he met with his first successes in that field, winning the second place Prix de Rome for his composition Marie Stuart et Rizzio. In 1839 he won the Prix de Rome with his cantata Fernand, and went to study in Italy.
The music of Palestrina and the old masters as well as the music of Schumann and Berlioz influenced his early years. When he returned to Paris after this sojourn, he acquired a position as an organist at the Mission Etrangères. He studied theology and developed an interest in literature and reading. Everyone expected that, eventually, he would take orders and become a cleric. He continued to compose, but during this time his compositions were primarily liturgical.
Gounod's first opera premiered in 1851. Due to its lack of dramatic qualities, it was not a success. He took a conducting position, began to teach, and continued to compose choral works and masses. Two more operas were failures, before Gounod finally composed one that was popular with the public. Perhaps the subject matter inspired the latent dramatist in him, for it was a setting of the story of Faust, the story of an intellectual seduced by the devil, but redeemed by love. Produced at the Théâtre Lyrique in 1859, it was an instant success with the French public and has remained in the repertory of opera houses all over the globe. None of Gounod's other operas was as successful, although portions have remained popular and are given in concert form.
His Romeo et Juliette of 1867 contains much fine music, particularly the song of Queen Mab, the duets, the page's song, and the duel scene of Act Three. By the end of his life, Gounod had again become very religious, turning into something of a mystic. He composed primarily religious music, music that reflected the influence of Jules Massenet and Georges Bizet.
Faust, opera
Instrumentation: flute, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani plus 3 percussion, harp, strings
This is the first time the DPO has performed this piece.
The first French translations of Goethe's Faust – a literary staple for Romantics everywhere – appeared in 1823, but – as even Goethe noted – Gérard de Nerval's 1827 translation surpassed them in quality. After these early translations, French art saw a profusion of popular plays, musical works, and paintings based on the story. Gounod's operatic treatment, Faust, which premièred on March 19, 1859, at Paris' Théâtre-Lyrique to great acclaim, is one of a number of French musicians’ musical treatments of the theme; these include Louise Bertin's opera Fausto (1831) and Hector Berlioz's "dramatic legend" La Damnation de Faust (1846).
Jules Barbier constructed the libretto for Gounod's Faust from excerpts which he lifted, with the author's permission, from Michel Carré's play Faust et Marguerite (1850). Carré gave Barbier carte blanche to borrow from his play; Carré himself was busy writing the libretto for Meyerbeer's Le Padron de Ploërmel (Dinorah) and had no interest in adapting the play for operatic treatment.
The rehearsal process leading up to the premiere was difficult; Gounod made substantial cuts to his score and replaced the leading tenor, found inadequate, during the dress rehearsal.
This original version contained spoken dialogue. rather than recitative; in 1860 Gounod supplied music for these sections, thereby making the opera viable for performance in opera houses outside of France. The work indeed enjoyed considerable popularity internationally. It benefited especially from the circumstances of its London premiere, for which Gounod composed the now-famous aria Avant de quitter ces lieux. The role of Marguerite's brother, Valentin, originally contained no aria, but the merits of the talented baritone Charles Santley persuaded the composer to add it; this aria is now among the most popular excerpts from the score.
For Faust's premiere at the Paris Opéra in 1869, Gounod composed a complete ballet for placement near the beginning of Act Five; it was arguably this production, the work's most lavish yet, that propelled Faust to its position of unchallenged popularity in France – a position it maintained for the better part of a century.
The music of Gounod's Faust shows at every turn its membership in the lineage of French grand opera; numbers of strongly defined form, bel canto lyricism, and expressive orchestration all mark the score. distinctive orchestral textures set many major scenes beautifully. Hushed strings and woodwinds and sparkling notes in the harp introduce the apparition of Marguerite at her spinning wheel in Act One, Scene Two; the first violins illustrate the perpetual motion of Maguerite's spinning wheel with a magical filigree of 32nd notes, foreshadowing her spinning song (Il ne revient pas) in Act Four.
A chorale of trumpet and trombones announces the entrance of the pious Valentin in Act Two, Scene Two; his first aria (Avant de quitter ces lieux) follows, in orthodox ternary (ABA) form. The structure of Act Two, Scene Five, in which the recurring waltz music of a ball alternates with contrasting episodes of individual expression, implies Rondo form.
Faust's Act Three cavatina (Salut! demeure chaste et pure) is a classic example of a traditional grand opera ternary-form cavatina. Perhaps the best-known number of the opera is Marguerite's brooding Act Four, Scene Six chanson (Il était un roi de Thulé), a modified take on the strophic couplet common in grand opera. Also of note is Méfistofélé's crass and saccharine serenade, Vous qui fete l'endormie, which he sings to the sleeping Marguerite; his complete disregard for her human worth makes for a dramatic foil to her piety and eventual redemption.
The addition of the solo organ in Act Four, Scene Three, is another striking orchestral feature.
As shown with moderate accuracy in the film The Age of Innocence, Faust long seemed the inevitable opening-night presentation of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
Biography by Rita Laurance
Composition Description by Jennifer Hambrick
Source: All Media Guide
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