Gounod, Faust
From Seen and Heard International
By: James L Zychowicz
Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sir Andrew Davis (conductor) Civic Opera House, Chicago, 17.10.2009 (JLZ)
With its solid cast of principals, Gounod’s Faust has a vibrant revival at Lyric Opera of Chicago, its second production of the 2009-2010 season. In presenting the full score of the opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago wisely offered two intermissions, one after the second act, the other after the third, so that it could incorporate the mill scene with Marguerite, which some productions omit. By avoiding the cut, the opera contains a fuller characterization of Marguerite, and as a result, strategically sets up the dénouement in the final act.
In this production Ana María Martínez is a persuasive Marguerite, with her vocal expertise supported by fine acting. She captures the role both musically and physically, as witnessed by the two arias in the third act, the ballad of the King of Thule (“Il était un roi de Thulé”) and the subsequent “Jewel Song” (“Oh, Dieu, que de bijoux!”). Martínez’s pacing allowed the full impact of the ballad of the King of Thule to show through, with its poignant ending emerging with subtlety and poise. If Marguerite is cautious about Faust up to that point in the opera, her youthful delight enlivens the familiar “Jewel Song” to make it an exciting expression of enchantment. Martínez moved nicely from wariness to curiosity with her phrasing, and also in the way she opened the jewel box for increasingly longer intervals. At the end, her intoxication with the gift was expressed in the full-bodied melisma with which the number ends and Martínez expressed Marguerite’s delight splendidly. Her infatuation finds expression in the duet with Faust, “Laisse-moi contempler ton visage,” which here displayed all the expression of passion that Gounod intended for this piece. Martínez’s fluid sound melded beautifully with Piotr Beczala, who made his Chicago debut in this production.
As Faust, Beczala delivered a practically flawless performance of this demanding role. His resonant tone suited the style of the work seamlessly, never flagging at any point in the production. His depiction of the aged Faust was particularly convincing, since he did not resort to exaggerated acting to create the opening scene, but simply allowed Gounod’s music to serve the role. At the end of the first act, his duet with Mephistopheles was exciting, as Faust is finding new meaning in the fulfillment of the devil’s promise of revivified youth (“Ã moi les plaisirs”). This scene gave the Lyric audience a fine sense of the young tenor’s style, which was borne out in the third act’s love scene and, ultimately in the finale ensemble “Alerte! Alerte!” Beczala’s tone is always focused and round, with a consistent sound through every register. He was nicely resonant in the solo numbers and also easily distinguishable in the ensembles, easily matching René Pape’s burnished basso cantante voice in the first-act duet, as well as in other scenes which involve the two characters.
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