Busoni: Doktor Faust

Of all the Faust operas I have yet seen, this became my favorite on first viewing. It is not as tuneful as Gounod's, nor as grand as Boito's; but it is easily the most thoughtful and thought-provoking. The ending may leave us unsure whether Faust is "damned" or "saved," but by now it no longer seems to matter, so seriously has our appreciation been unsettled as to what, exactly, those two terms mean, anyway.So impressed was I with the opera that I did what I rather rarely do, and watched the "extras" -- interviews with Thomas Hampson and Philippe Jordan. From Jordan's segment I learned that finding the right end for this opera defeated Busoni, and two endings have been provided by other hands. Jordan chose the one used for the work's premiere in 1925. On my own, I would not have been aware of any discontinuity. Being quite tone-deaf (in the popular if not the strictly "clinical" sense of the term), I can't pick up on things like discords and tonalities. Which could be one reason I absolutely hate WOZZECK. I have disks of two other modern operas mentioned in the interviews -- LADY MACBETH OF MTSENK and PETER GRIMES -- and have nothing in particular against them but rarely feel in the mood to watch them again. Busoni's DOKTOR FAUST, however, I admired and loved right away, and cannot say why, especially considering that it uses a type of staging which usually turns me off. But it poses so many questions of philosophical importance -- and leaves the audience to ponder the answers. I suppose the music must add a dramatic dimension which affects me subliminally. The level of dramatic performance had wonderful effects of which I was conscious.I'd never heard of Busoni before this past month. Now, I'm ready to agree with Philippe Jordan that this is one of the most important operas of the twentieth century. I'm very glad indeed I bought it. And I plan to keep an eye out for other performances by Thomas Hampson.

Although the libretto of this opera is not based on Goethe's Faust, it has similar profound psychological tones. In short, Faust makes a pact with the Devil to give him powers to obtain whatever he wants, and still he feels empty. He tries love, stealing the Duchess on her wedding day; and fame as a professor, but still the same isolation persists. Only at the end he does something that fulfills him, he gives his life for the life of his son (the eternal perpetuation of life). I am a little bet disappointed that this life given scene is not stressed enough in this production. Otherwise the production is very well done. The music is difficult to perform and has as many styles as one can think, may be stressing the many facets of the mind, although it is always within a dark atmosphere. The staging is appropriately dark with the exception of the first scene, may be the only one in the real world. The rest of the scenes are all dark and out of reality, only portraying Faust's dark psychology. Interestingly, Faust is a baritone and Mephistopheles is a tenor, in contrast to the general perception of the devil having a lower voice. In this opera, the lower and darker character is Faust; Mephistopheles is a steady character with obvious intentions.Thomas Hampson is just perfect, his singing and his acting is compelling. His music and the acting takes you directly into Faust state of mind.I strongly recommend you read the booklet before watching the Opera. The interview with Hampson is also worth watching.This DVD is recommended for those seeking more than just entertainment.

I have had no prior exposure to Ferruccio Busoni's music. I have never seen this opera before. The experience was awesome. I was so amazed by the music and the performance that I watched it twice. The music itself is haunting with its rapid transitions between major and minor. The set was very modern but it "worked". Unlike many operas the women play a minor role and the opera succeeds, or fails, on the abilities of the two male leads. Gregory Kunde, playing the role of Mephistopheles, was particularly engaging. The image quality was excellent -- the colors had good saturation; the image was sharp throughout. The image choices by the video director enhanced the viewing experience. The sound (I listened to it with the dts-HD master audio setting) was encompassing with a good frequency range. Art Haus Musik has become a major source for operas in blu-ray. I have a number of their offerings and have been pleased with all of them. This is a direct contrast to the recent offerings by the Metropolitan Opera Company who have recorded a number of operas in high definition but has, to date, released only standard DVDs without the sound quality that can be obtained with Blu-ray. My experience with opera on blu-ray so far is that the sound is clearly better, the image marginally so.

Anyone familiar with the (LP), then, the now-deleted CD performance with Fischer-Dieskau will be extremely disappointed in this set. It's almost like Thomas Hampson is sleepwalking through this, one of my favorite operas of all time. You don't know how many strings I had to pull to get the LP version, and then the DGG CD, which brings the action right into your gut. Hampson does not have the depth of the part, but it is certainly sung beautifully, not the best of reasons to hear this opera.Even when I just listen to the DVD, the demented horror of Faust is not there... Just a warning for those who HAVE heard the earlier LP/CD transfer. I have it and you don't!

Well, I was floored! What an amazing performance in all senses of the word! Simply awesome. I will not repeat the praises other reviewershave heaped on it. For some reason, it reminded me of The Ghosts of Versailles. All I can say is Buy it pronto!