Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Day 325-Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra-Hector Berlioz's Damnation of Faust- Musical Powerhouse of Good and Evil



I have experienced the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) in the past but never such a larger than life  production as  Hector Berlioz's  Damnation of Faust.   Manfred Honceck conducted 4 opera soloists, 170 choir members and the 98 piece Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.  It was a  musical powerhouse performance of good and evil.  


One of PSO largest productions with 270 artist on stage

Reflection
This four part production was a combustion of operatic arias sung in French (with English subtitles) and jockeying periods of only the PSO. At times the symphony sounded breezy and light, and at other times, fiery and frantic.  The Mendelson Choir of Pittsburgh occasionally added dramatic waves and The Pittsburgh Youth Chorus sprinkled in pure sounds during the conclusion.

Music, opera and choir  came together to tell, as Berlioz’s described it, a “dramatic legend”. In the story, the protagonist, Faust (tenor, Charles Castronovo) is in a state of despair and contemplates ending his life. The devil, Mephistopheles (bass-baritone, Luca Pisaroni) enters and  promises him pleasure and fortune and introduces Faust to Marguerite (mezzo soprano, Tara Erraught). They fall in love. There is some passion in between but the climax occurs  when Faust is tricked into selling his soul to the devil in order to save his love from prison. This triggers Faust’s descension into hell. Marguerite, who on the other hand repents from her sin, ascends to Heaven.

Even without the story narrative or the aria’s lyrics, I enjoyed the contrasts in the composition portraying  good and evil  and joy and sorrow. The symphony opened with a breezy sweet flow of piccolos and flutes with  the added choir “Tra La La”.  Later, deeper  sounding solo cellos and then violins produced a  melancholic wave. The symphony  mimicked  the story with interesting injections of bells and other sounds, especially brass. It was an evening filled with  musical contrasts as opposite as  heaven and hell.

This show punched with potent vocals.  Charles Castronovo, as Faust, had a magnetic effect as a smooth tenor. Luca Pisaroni, as the devil, was a mesmerizing bass-baritone and Tara Erraught, as Marguerite, was a powerful mezzo soprano that filled the theater.

 The anticipated ending  was one of my favorite moments. Faust is dragged to hell as the symphony takes a wild ride with brass, drums, and fiery strings. It all crescendos with a unified female choir scream and ends with the choir bass “Oh Dread”. In contrast, the symphony lightened,  harps were added, and the choir sang “Praise Hosanna” with the angelic sounds of young voices as Marguerite entered Heaven.

Damnation of Faust was a spectacular dramatic night where diverse genres emulated the sounds of temptation and redemption. It was night where good and evil took flight with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

(I will definitely keep the PSO in my empty-nest tool box for enjoyable dramatic musical experiences and more.  For more of what is next for the PSO go to pittsburghsymphony.org )

Spiritual Reflection

For you are the children of your father the Devil...  There is no truth in him.When he lies, it is consistent with his character for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44)

Other Sources