Berlioz's large-scale work is everything affluent 19th century audiences wanted. It's characterized by a prominent role for the chorus, musical interludes intended to evoke such things as the pleasures of nature and Hungarian military glory (albeit the latter despised by the protagonist), together with plenty about the joys and pains of love.
Once Faust has met Marguerite he concludes that love is the one thing that makes life worth living. Everything in this production looks set to confirm this view. Not too much about love's pains can be expected, but the show nevertheless looks set to put Berlioz well and truly on the Taiwan classical-music-lover's map as a Romantic composer of stage works on the grandest scale, toy motorbikes notwithstanding.
For your information :
The Damnation of Faust plays at Taipei's National Concert Hall on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, starting at 7.30pm. Seats are from NT$400 to NT$2,000. For information on ticket availability call (02) 2343 1647. Seats at N$800 and upwards were available for both performances as of press time.
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