Faust – The Jewel Song (Angela Gheorghiu, The Royal Opera)

Published on Apr 10, 2014
Angela Gheorghiu as Marguerite sings the Jewel Song from Act III of Gounod’s Faust.

Charles-François Gounod’s Faust was once one of the most famous and most performed of all operas: amin'ny Covent Garden dia re vanim-potoana rehetra eo 1863 ary 1911. Jules Barbier and Michel Carré’s libretto is a tale of romance, fakam-panahy, ary ny mandrakizay-taloha ady eo Satana fahefana sy ny fivavahana. It is based on Carré’s play Faust et Marguerite, which in turn is based on Part I of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s dramatic poem Faust, iray amin'ireo asa lehibe ny Eoropeana boky sy gazety.

David McVicar’s lavish production, voalohany hita ao amin'ny 2004, sets the action in the Paris of Gounod’s later years, Ny alina nialoha ny Franco-Prosianina Ady. Charles Edwards’s designs include a memorable Cabaret d’Enfer and an impressive reconstruction of the Church of Saint-Séverin. Mazava tsara izy ireo mampita ny fifandonana eo amin'ny fivavahana sy ny mpikatsaka fahafinaretana ny fialam-boly, and provide a powerful backdrop to Gounod’s score. Faust contains much-loved musical highlights including the memorable Soldiers’ Chorus, Méphistophélès’s rowdy ‘Song of the Golden Calf’, and Marguerite’s Jewel Song with its dazzling coloratura. The opera’s final scene includes an impassioned trio between Faust, Marguerite and Méphistophélès, araka ny Marguerite mpitolona mba hanoherana fakam-panahy sy hahazo ny famonjena.