REVIEW: Berkshire Opera Festival, “Faust”

Berkshire Opera Festival, Great Barrington, MA

www.berkshireoperafestival.org

August 27 & 30, 2024

by Michael J. Moran

Photo by Ken Howard

To conclude their ninth season, Berkshire Opera Festival presents its first French opera: a triumphant production of Charles Gounod’s 1859 masterpiece “Faust.” Based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play “Faust, Part I,” and with a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carre, “Faust” was not only Gounod’s breakthrough work but has remained by far the most popular of his 12 operas.

Act I opens as Faust, an aging scholar, plans to end his life in despair at its meaninglessness, when the sound of happy young voices outside his window makes him long to regain his lost youth. Mephistopheles, the Devil, promptly appears and offers to grant his wish on earth if Faust will serve him in hell. The remaining four acts follow the handsome younger Faust’s seduction of the beautiful Marguerite and its effects on both of them and on her family and community.  

Tenor Duke Kim is an ardent Faust, singing and acting with passion, clarity, and plush tonal beauty. Bass-baritone Justin Hopkins portrays Mephistopheles with a winning mix of demonic power, comic wit, and even sex appeal. Soprano Raquel Gonzalez tracks Marguerite’s journey from demure grace through amorous infatuation to abject heartbreak with unerring skill. Mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce as Siebel, a local boy in love with Marguerite; baritone Jarrett Porter as Marguerite’s brother, Valentin; mezzo-soprano Abbegael Greene as her neighbor; Marthe, and baritone Kyle Dunn as Wagner, a student, all make strong impressions in their roles.

Vocal highlights include: Porter’s affecting rendition of Valentin’s Act II aria “Before I Leave This Place;” Gonzalez’s poignant reading of Marguerite’s Act III “King of Thule” aria; Greene’s hilarious pass as Marthe at Hopkins’ roguish Mephistopheles in the Act III quartet; a stirring Act IV soldiers’ chorus; and Hopkins’ menacing laughter in Mephistopheles’ Act IV serenade.

Resourceful direction by BOF Co-Founder Jonathon Loy culminates in a stunning coup de theatre at Marguerite’s Act V redemption, when Alex Jainchill’s subtle lighting design suddenly brightens. Committed performances under BOF Artistic Director and Co-Founder Brian Garman by the BOF orchestra and chorus (led by Chorus Master Geoffrey Larson) bring Gounod’s brilliant score to vivid life. Sensitive choreography by Andrea Beasom, elegant costume design by Brooke Stanton, and spare but flexible scenic design by Stephen Dobay keep the focus squarely on the characters and the drama.

This outstanding “Faust” shouldn’t be missed by lovers of Romantic grand opera. Perhaps more importantly, "Faust" offers the opportunity for those who aren't opera aficionados to see a love story sung in French.

Note from editor: A surprising start to the performance was the swift staccato beat of a solo snare drum, followed by the full orchestra, and the unprompted audience immediately standing, facing the U.S. flag to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner". Now that both the Republican and Democratic conventions are behind us, without touching on politics, a salute to our country seemed fitting.