Damnation of Faust

Among the musical versions of the Faust legend (including the operas of Gounod, Boito, and Busoni), Berlioz' Damnation of Faust is unique. Subtitled Dramatic Legend, it was not intended for actual stage presentation; while it has Dramatis Personae, it lacks the sequential development of plot and character that opera usually offers. Instead, it only pictures the main characters and delineates their relationships.

Faust stands in contrast to the vast impersonal forces of Nature, the earthy pleasures of the Folk, and Satan's cynical malice. Except for a brief moment of enchanted sleep, the Devil offers him only a brutal bird's eye view of earth and its blasphemies: armies on the march, revelers bloated with wine, and a drunken Amen on the death of a rat. For his great affaire de coeur, Faust must sneak behind a curtain while Marguerite prepares for bed, then pop into sight only when magic has rendered her more than willing. The disillusion culminates as neighbors assemble outside and mockingly call for Mother Oppenheim to rescue her daughter's virtue. When Marguerite has accidentally poisoned her mother (as in Goethe), Faust orders the Devil to rescue her. Only then is he forced to sell his soul, and the two strike their bargain to the coldly disinterested sound of remote hunting-horns. Mephisto, cheating, leads Faust not back to his love but straight to the Pit; Marguerite ascends to Heaven.

Berlioz' genius becomes most impressive when his work is performed with the insight of conductors like Charles Munch. Mr. Munch knows exactly where dull spots need his stimulus, and where he can let the phrases take their own course. Moreover, he had the advantage of excellent soloists. Suzanne Danco (Marguerite) and Martial Singher (Mephisto) sang with occasionally imperfect tone, but supreme understanding of how to translate French vowels and consonants into musical sound.

After an unsteady beginning, the Harvard Glee Club and Radcliffe Choral Society added another to their crowded collection of superb performances. The men, especially, did more than just sing notes correctly--presenting believable characterizations of demons, soldiers, and students.

It is easy to see why Berlioz is called the "father of modern orchestration." In Mephisto's sardonic serenade, for instance, plucked strings serve as a monstrous guitar-like accompaniment; in the Ride to the Abyss, woodwinds croak like vultures and wild hoofbeats run through the strings. But the Damnation of Faust is not a mere succession of orchestral and choral "effects." Besides dramatic fireworks, it contains pages of melodic beauty--like Marguerite's Romance--that place it among the most inspired works of the Romantic period.