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The Return of Faust

November 27, 2011 at 9:39 PM

I saw fantastic opera at the Met this weekend. It was my first time watching Gounod's Faust but I loved it. Jonas Kaufmann and Marina Paplovskaya were superb and I was shaken for hours after the haunting performance. The sets and modern adaptation were original and made the play more relevant to our time. I highly recommending to any of you who have yet to see it!

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Never saw Faust on the stage, but I studied the score and libretto on my own some years back. It's a compelling piece of musical drama -- memorable tunes, poignant story, and dramatic orchestrations -- definitely a repeater for this opera buff.

Will keep watching for Paplovskaya. I've come across a little of Kaufmann on You Tube. I remember that he had a bright, ringing top to the voice and a dark, baritonal quality at the bottom -- I would think this combination would be highly effective in the title role of Faust.

Fantastically emotional opera with a wonderful climactic scene. The violin solo with the tenor in the aria Salut demeure is worth the whole opera. I have a DVD of a Vienna State Opera performance that I detest for its modernity. I'll take old-fashioned thank you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJL1LqX9Uao&feature=youtube_gdata_player