October 14-20, 2004

art

Devil's Bargain

by David Shengold

opera review

Charles Gounod's Faust has a special role in the history of both the Academy of Music and the Opera Company of Philadelphia; the august theater witnessed the U.S. premiere of the then four-year old opera in 1863, and the company opened with a production in September 1975. This year's season opener (a revival by Leon Major of his intriguing, if sometimes over-busy, 1995 staging) is quite a worthy tribute to that history -- though it is tinged with sadness at the sudden passing of longtime company benefactor and president Jack Mulroney on Sept. 24. Major’s take on the once universally familiar events of this opera may puzzle both those who know it and those who don’t: When the grizzled old Doctor Faust sells his soul to the devil in exchange for youth, the character splits into the trim, youthful William Burden and an unsinging older supernumerary (Richard Brickley) who lies around stealing focus during many of the subsequent scenes -- many of them staged with considerable flair in Allen Moyer’s chessboard-centered set (black and white and red all over!). Also, at the end, Faust seems redeemed: not only (as Gounod intended) Marguerite, the woman he’s betrayed. But along the way there’s a lot to enjoy.

Tenor Burden makes yet another superb role debut for OCP, singing in beautiful French (Oct. 10), with fine line and glowing tone. West Chester’s Stephen Powell voices Valentin’s music with a stirringly noble baritone sound; these two would have garnered applause even in opera’s "Golden Age," of which this work was the centerpiece. Mary Mills makes a lovely, affecting heroine visually and dramatically, and her middle voice is clear and attractive. Range extremes prove trickier, and the crucial trills are absent. Mills and Burden make a charismatic couple in the gorgeous love music. Richard Bernstein as Méphistophélès offers the part’s height and humor and little else: The voice, if large, is growly and dry, the style lugubrious and inelegant. Reedy, characterful lyric mezzo Patricia Risley shines as Marguerite’s other suitor, Siebel. Orchestra and chorus respond very solidly to Jacques Lacombe’s baton, and the performance edition used is more than usually complete. Well worth catching, for Burden, Powell and Gounod’s great tunes. (d_shengold@citypaper.net)

Faust

Through Oct. 24, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Academy of Music, Broad and Locust sts., 215-893-1999