Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust
Salle Érasme, Strasbourg, 25th April 2019
Lightning, they say, never strikes in the same place twice. If that’s the case, then somebody please explain the scorch marks streaked across Strasbourg’s Palais de la Musique et des Congrès. Two years ago, it saw a world class line-up give world class performances of Berlioz’ epic opera Les Troyens. Now, its Énée and Didon – Michael Spyres and Joyce DiDonato – were reunited under John Nelson as Faust and Marguerite in La Damnation de Faust, that not-quite-opera which Berlioz described as a légende dramatique. It lived up to that dramatique billing completely in an account that practically self-combusted.
Michael Spyres, Joyce DiDonato, John Nelson and Nicolas Courjal
© Gregory Massat
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