Faust Avant de quitter ces lieux ( Dmitri Hvorostovsky, The Royal Opera)

Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings Valentin s aria from act II of Gounod s opera Faust. 2011 Find out more at CharlesFrançois Gounods Faust was once one of the most famous and most performed of all operas: at Covent Garden it was heard every season between 1863 and 1911. Jules Barbier and Michel Carrés libretto is a tale of romance, temptation, and the ageold battle between satanic powers and religion. It is based on Carrés play Faust et Marguerite, which in turn is based on Part I of Johann Wolfgang von Goethes dramatic poem Faust, one of the great works of European literature. David McVicars lavish production, first seen in 2004, sets the action in the Paris of Gounods later years, on the eve of the FrancoPrussian War. Charles Edwardss designs include a memorable Cabaret dEnfer and an impressive reconstruction of the Church of SaintSéverin. They vividly convey the clash between religion and hedonistic entertainment, and provide a powerful backdrop to Gounods sco