Fist (gounod)

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Work data
Title: Margarethe
Original title: fist
Original language: French
Music: Charles Gounod
Libretto : Jules Barbier , Michel Carré
Premiere: March 19, 1859
Place of premiere: Théâtre-Lyrique , Paris
Playing time: about 3 hours
Place and time of the action: in a small German town in the 16th century
people

Faust (with German title also "Margarethe") is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod . The libretto is by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré after Goethe's Faust .

The first performance took place on March 19, 1859 in Paris (Théâtre-Lyrique), the German first performance on February 15, 1861 in Darmstadt . A new version by the composer was performed for the first time on March 3, 1869 at the Paris Opera .

history

Gounod got to know Goethe's Faust poem as early as 1828. But it was only through Carré's French version Faust et Marguerite that he was encouraged to write an opera, which was finally written from 1856 to 1858 in collaboration with the librettist Barbier. The work was rejected by the Paris Opéra, so that it finally had its world premiere at the Théâtre-Lyrique. The first version was performed in the style of the Opéra-comique , i.e. with spoken dialogue. Later these were replaced by composed recitatives . A few scenes were also added for the performance at the Paris Opera (Romance des Siébel, Aria des Valentin, ballet music for Walpurgis Night, Serenade Mephistus). This version is still the usual version of the opera today.

Faust was a great success from the start. In the first ten years it was performed around 300 times at its premiere location alone, followed by productions in Strasbourg (1860), Germany and Italy (from 1862). 3,000 performances followed at the Paris Opéra.

The Metropolitan Opera in New York opened in 1883 with a performance of Faust . This stage has made a special contribution to maintaining Gounod's opera to this day.

action

The apparition of Marguerite in Faust's study, illustration after the performance at Covent Garden (around 1864)

I. act

Faust is sitting in his study. He is old and tired of the constant brooding about the meaning of life, which is why he wants to end his life. At the moment when he wants to bring the poison cup to his mouth, he hears young women singing from outside: "  Toute la nature / S'éveille à l'amour  " ("All nature awakens to love"). Faust quarrels with God and life. At his call to Satan , Méphistophélès appears and promises him fame and fortune. But Faust is not interested in that because he desires youth and love . Mephisto promptly lets the picture Marguerite (Margarethes) appear, which Faust is so fascinated by that he devotes himself to evil. He receives a rejuvenation potion and leaves the study room with Mephisto.

Fyodor Chaliapin as Méphistophélès (1915)

II. Act

Le veau d'or (Méphistophélès, Act II), sung by Fyodor Ivanovich Chalyapin
Adelina Patti as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust

A lot of people have gathered in front of the city for the fair . Valentin appears, who has to face the draft for military obligations, and looks at an amulet that he received from his sister Marguerite. He puts his sister under the care of his friend Siébel. Wagner starts a happy song to drive away worried thoughts, but is interrupted by Méphistophélès, who in turn starts the “Rondo of the Golden Calf”, which all of society joins in. He then prophesies that Wagner will die the next time the fortress storms , that Valentine's end is imminent and that every flower Siébel touches will wither. Then he praises Marguerite's beauty with scornful words. Valentin angrily intrudes on the mocker, but his weapon is unable to counter the magical protection that surrounds Mephisto. The cross handle of the sword alone pushes Mephisto back. The crowd disperses and Faust reminds Mephisto of the beautiful woman he showed him. Marguerite enters, but refuses the escort offered by Faust.

III. act

Siébel picks lilacs and roses in the garden near Marguerite's house to leave a bouquet for Marguerite, but the flowers quickly wither in his hand. Only after he has dipped her in holy water is the spell broken. Enter FAUST and MEPHISTO. Méphistophélès lays a jewelery box in front of Marguerite's door, which she finds soon afterwards. She immediately opens it and puts on the jewelry it contains. Mephisto tells Marthe about her husband's death and at the same time compliments her , which she also accepts. Meanwhile, Faust manages to get closer to Marguerite, who enchants him with her purity. Mephisto conjures up the magic of the night to fill Marguerite with love. Faust is fascinated by her innocence and wants to move away from her, but Mephisto holds him back so that Faust hears the words of love that Marguerite, believing she is alone, speaks softly into the night from her window. They both throw each other into each other's arms, while Mephisto goes off with a devilish laugh.

IV. Act

Vous qui faites l'endormie (Méphistophélès, Act IV), sung by Fyodor Ivanovich Chalyapin

Marguerite sits in her room and laments her sad fate, since she has been abandoned by Faust and is mocked by her friends. Mad about it, she killed her child. Siébel visits her to comfort her, but Marguerite seeks the consolation of the church. She wants to ask heaven's forgiveness in the cathedral, but Méphistophélès appears and destroys her last hope of God's grace. Marguerite passes out. Meanwhile, Faust, who regrets his infidelity, has returned and tries to lure Marguerite to the window. Valentin demands accountability from him, a scuffle ensues. Valentin describes Marguerite's amulet as desecrated and throws it away. Mephisto supports Faust in the fight so that he can stab his opponent without difficulty. He tears Faust away with him. Attracted by the din of the fight, people come over. Marguerite kneels by her dying brother, whose last words become a curse for his sister.

V. act

Faust and Méphistophélès are on the Blocksberg to celebrate Walpurgis Night . An orgiastic bacchanal rages in a splendid hall . But after a short time Faust has an appearance: He sees Marguerite with a red stripe around her neck as if from an executioner's ax . There is no stopping Faust and he asks Mephisto to be brought to Marguerite. The scene is changing. Marguerite rests in dungeon and is now awaiting a verdict in court. Faust looks at the sleeping woman with deep movements. She wakes up and hugs him, shaken by the memory of their first meeting. Mephisto urges a quick escape, but Marguerite shrinks back at the sight of him. Faust tries to forcibly take her away, but she evades his grasp and collapses. Mephisto roars: "Judged!", But a heavenly choir answers: "Saved!"

effect

Ary Scheffer : Faust and Marguerite

The work was a great success with the public and is still performed frequently today. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky commented on the composition in 1872: "There is no doubt that the opera was composed with great mastery, which, if not ingenious, at least reveals a peculiarity."

Discography (selection)

Others

The Prussian military musician Gottfried Piefke composed the Margarethenmarsch ( Army March II, 182), which is one of the most famous German military marches today.

The soldiers' choir was the slow march of the British Guards Machine Gun Regiment , which had its roots in the First World War in 1915, existed until 1920 and was one of the guards regiments. This took part in Trooping the Color in 1919 , where the march sounded. In memory of this event, the march was also played in 2019.

The Belgian cartoonist Hergé used in his Tim-and-Snowy -Heften the jewel aria of Margaret ( "  Ah, the ris de me voir si belle  ") as a showpiece of the fictional opera singer Bianca Castafiore.

In The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann "prayer Valentine" is "of euphony wealth" and "Fragwürdigstes" used in the chapters by the end of the work.

Martin Scorsese's 1993 film Time of Innocence starts with a duet scene from the opera Faust.

Individual evidence

  1. Everett Helm : Peter I. Tchaikovsky. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Hamburg 1976, ISBN 3-499-50243-7 , p. 63.
  2. Thomas Mann : The Magic Mountain. S. Fischer Verlag, Berlin 1924, p. 851 ff., P. 890 ff.
  3. Stefan Dosch: With your fist on you and you. In: Augsburger Allgemeine , February 24, 2018, accessed on May 16, 2019.

Web links

Commons : Faust  - collection of images, videos and audio files