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Faust by Calgary Opera
Jack Singer Concert Hall
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Friday, November 14 - Friday, November 14 Wednesday, November 12 - Wednesday, November 12 Saturday, November 8 - Saturday, November 8

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Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

The story of aging professor Faust — a man who sells his soul to the devil to regain his youth — dates back to the 16th century, but in the hands of Calgary Opera it is as current as billboards for Botox.

The fallout from Faust’s bargain impacts the lives of his lover Marguerite and Valentin, her protective brother. During soldier Valentin’s tour of duty, Mephistopheles is free to tempt the libidinous Faust and virtuous Marguerite with carnal passions.

Though many versions of the Faust story exist, including other operas, Calgary Opera will perform composer Charles Gounod’s music and dramatist Jules Barbier’s libretto. Gounod’s version and his genius for memorable melodies was not met with immediate success, however, his Faust became a staple in the opera repertoire despite being over four hours long.

The current revival of Gournod’s Faust, playing at the Jubilee Auditorium until November 14, is a fast-paced and wholly engaging three hours, which include a pas de deux and two intermissions. The music played by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra is magical and sung by an outstanding cast accompanied by the Calgary Opera Chorus.

In Calgary Opera’s new production, sung in French with translations projected above the stage, the setting is updated to the First World War. First-time opera stage director Eda Holmes, a former ballet dancer and musical comedy director, maintains a delicate balance among the lively acting talents and young powerful voices of its Canadian cast. The only non-Canadian is Argentine Eduardo Chama, who replaced David Bedard as Mephistopheles.

Chama’s bass-baritone mesmerizes with his stylishly devilish interpretation, especially in the Golden Calf aria. His manic laughter has a melody of its own, and his sly stealing of the audience’s attention is a guilty pleasure. The heart-lifting, almost breathtaking full top tones of tenor Marc Hervieux, as Faust, are outstanding in solos and thrilling in collaborative duets and trios, and soprano Laura Whalen shines as Marguerite and sparkles in the renowned Jewel Song.

The only truly virtuous character, Valentin, is played by baritone Joshua Hopkins. His warm tones and smooth movement from the top to bottom of his vocal range meld into refined performances in his second and fourth act arias. In the latter, he takes a long time dying from wounds inflicted by Faust and holds the audience in thrall with an emotional performance.

In the male role of Seibel, traditionally sung by a contralto or mezzo-soprano dressed in men’s clothing, Calgarian Andrea Hill, a mezzo-soprano and graduate of Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artists 2006-07, is captivating. Hill’s mannish movements engaged the imagination of the opening night audience.

Faust’s settings and scene locations also inspire. Harry Frehner and Scott Reid, the production’s set and lighting designers, use projections and sophisticated lighting techniques to give the illusion of additional stage sets such as stone walls or additional rooms. The sparse physical set, consisting of a staircase and tower window built in Calgary for this production, moves almost imperceptibly on quiet tracks and is multifaceted, appearing at different angles and positions onstage to represent a different setting. The structure is used for all the locations in the performance, from Faust’s library to the dismal dungeon where Marguerite is locked up for killing her child, and where she is eventually redeemed and lifted to heaven.

Holmes positions the Calgary Opera Chorus to advantage and her theatre staging experiences create strong symbolism that is supported by the style of the lighting and setting. The unflappable Jean-Marie Zeitouni conducts Gounod’s music with a refreshing vitality.