Charles Gounod

Faust, CG 4: Act III

CHARLES GOUNOD (1818-1893) was a prolific French composer in the mid 1800' s, but he was not well recognized by his peers or the public until his opera Faust was first performed in Paris in 1859. The opera remains today as one of the most dramatic and popular in the repertoire. The libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on the two-part play by Goethe, tells the story of the aging philosopher in search of lost youth. Selling his soul to the devil, he is transformed into a young man, but when he falls in love with the virtuous Marguerite, her own soul hangs in the balance. At the end of Act 3, after Marguerite has permitted Faust to kiss her and asks him to leave, she sings sings at her window, hoping he returns quickly. On hearing her, Faust does return to continue his seduction in a duet ("Il se fait tard; O nuit d'amour") while Mephistopheles watches and laughs. Instrumentation: 2(2nd dPicc).1+1(dOb2).2.2: 4.2.3.0: Timp.Perc(1): Hp: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set). Reprint edition.