Cheap Gounod: Faust (Music) (Charles Gounod, Richard Bonynge, Joan Sutherland, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Franco Corelli, Margreta Elkins, Robert Massard) Price

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Customer Reviews of Gounod: Faust

The most thrilling recording of Faust!
This was the first recording I heard of this wonderful opera, but even listening to most of the other usually recommended recordings, including the classic one with Victoria de los Angeles and Nicolaï Gedda (EMI), I couldn't find some important aspects that I can find in this incredible recording made in 1966.
First of all, the orchestra is excellent and Richard Bonynge manages to conduct it with softness and power simutaneously. The result is that we can notice some wonderful details that simply don't exist in other versions. Besides, (if well conducted) Faust is a show of wonderful melodies and ecstasy moments!
Although some people may imagine the cast is not "French" enough, you can't realize what these voices can do!
Franco Corelli has a sweet but large voice and his voice blends very well with Sutherland's voice in the romantic duets. He was also a successful singer in many French roles (Romeo in Roméo et Juliette, Don José in Carmen, Raoul in Les Huguenots, etc.), so he was completely aware of the French style of singing.
Dame Joan Sutherland was in her ultimate prime, with a huge and heavenly voice that had such a "tearful tone" that could be perfectly applied to romantic-tragic roles like Marguerite. In her first coloratura aria (Ah! je ris de me voir), her voice is youthful and agile, while later in the opera it tends to be darker and heavier, indicating Marguerite's torment. Her characterization is really moving. I like Joan Sutherland's interpretations a lot not only because of her voice, but because she had a rare talent: she could express happiness, sadness and pain while singing perfectly and with the most beautiful tones. She doesn't need to breathe, to cry or to do any other "theathrical elements" to make her characterizations sound interesting to our ears.
I suppose I don't need to talk many things about Nicolai Ghiaurov's Mephistophéles. He was one of the best basses of the 20th century (unfortunately this great singer and man passed away this week) and probably the best bass of the last fifty years, and Mephistophéles was one of his greates roles. His voice is enormous and dark and his interpretation of the role is the most viril and sarcastic I have ever heard.
And when these three legendary voices joins, it's spectacular! The final trio is dazzling, one of the greatest moments of the recorded history of Opera!
Since I cannot talk about every great singer in this recording (there are so many!), I would like to mention the elegant Valentin of Robert Massard, the sweet Siebel of Margreta Elkins and the interesting Martha of Monica Sinclair. With such a great cast, nothing can go wrong in this opera!
If you want to know this great masterpiece composed by Gounod, or if you are just adding one more recording to your collection, please buy this recording! You WON'T be disappointed!

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One of the Grandest of all Grand Operas
When it comes to grand opera, Gounod's FAUST has to be one of the grandest. At the turn of the 19th/20th century, it was as popular as Broadway's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and was often just as much a spectacle. The plot of the opera is taken from Goethe's FAUST and tells the story of an aging academic who longs for youth. He makes a pact with the devil and seduces the beautiful Marguerite. Marguerite kills the child of their union and finds herself in prison. As the opera ends, Faust and Mephistopheles try and help Marguerite escape, but upon recognizing the Mephistopheles for who he is, she prays and dies from the exhaustion. The devil condemns her, but her penitence was genuine and a band of angels brings the deceased Marguerite to Heaven.

The tale is both lively and dark, and Gounod's music captures the changing moods in the opera. The opera is filled with great arias, majestic ensemble scenes and duets, and powerful choral scenes. Though it is not uncommon for musical experts to sneer at this opera, it is easy to understand why it remains so popular with audiences.

The cast of this recording is very strong: Franco Corelli as Faust, Nicolai Ghiaurov as Mephistopheles, Joan Sutherland as Marguerite and Robert Messard as Valentin. Joan Sutherland's powerful voice more than handles the role and her coloratura techniques bring her arias to life, particularly the famous "Jewel Song." This is not Franco Corelli's greatest recording, but he is a more than satisfactory Faust. The standouts (at least for me) are Nicolai Ghiaurov as Mephistopheles and Robert Massard as Valentin. Ghiaurov has the ability to sound like a kindly friend albeit in a deceptive manner and has the ability to sound purely evil. Massard sings Valentin's aria "Avant de quitter ces lieux" with beauty and tenderness. We believe he is worried about his sister's welfare, and given what happens, he has reason to be. The orchestra and chorus support the cats and bring the opera to life, but this should not be a surprise considering Richard Bonynge is the conductor.

The recording has a libretto, but it is not the traditional booklet form. The libretto can be accessed via computer on Disc 3. This may make it a bit difficult to use when listening to the recording, but given the fact that it is a mid-priced set, a CD Rom libretto is better than no libretto at all.

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lyrical and handsome, epochal in its scope...
What do you get when you put Corelli, Ghiaurov, Sutherland and Massard in the same room with Gounod? You get wonderful ensemble singing! Interpretation? That's a highly individual issue with any collection of individual stars singing against the backdroop of a heavier, darker libretto. Musicologists may not enjoy this recording from 1966 as much as ordinary folks but, of course, it's their job not to enjoy it for what it is: simply, stars on parade! Those of you who don't like sutherland when she goes low will not be happy in those several moments....but the rest is grand Gounod -- (remember, this is NOT puccini or verdi).