Your favourite légende dramatique by Berlioz

[North Star]

Companion to Alberich's Berlioz opera poll.

[Jo498]

Can I vote for more than one option?
This is my favorite Berlioz piece, I think.
(Admittedly, of the real operas I have only heard Les Troyens and cannot say that I know it well.)

[North Star]

Can I vote for more than one option?
This is my favorite Berlioz piece, I think.
(Admittedly, of the real operas I have only heard Les Troyens and cannot say that I know it well.)

I really should have allowed voting for several options.. Yes, a wonderful piece.

[Biffo]

Favourite recording: Davis/LSO (1973)
Favourite Faust (or Foast): Richard Verreau (Markevitch)
Favourite Marguerite: Josephine Veasey (Davis, 1973) - Janet Baker (Pretre) is a close second, need to refresh my memory of Crespin (Markevitch)
Favourite Mephisto: Jules Bastin (Davis, 1973) although I can't think of one I dislike

[Sergeant Rock]

I really can't choose. I like them all.

Sarge

[San Antone]

Last year's production at the Met was wonderfully realized.  Members of Cirque du Soleil performed the hitherto thought impossible aspects of Berlioz's imagining and the entire staging was a mighty achievement.

[some guy]

Good one, North Star!!

I saw this in Switzerland somewhere with David Zinman. That must have been Zürich.

In 2003.

The soloists would stand to sing, with one exception: For the part where he basically informs Faust who is in control, Mephistophiles remained seated, conveying his superiority sprawled in his chair. Very effective coup de théâtre. Ever since, I have thought of that work as being about Mephistophiles, not about Faust or Margarita. But that's as may be. It is a pretty splendid work.

I also saw it staged (Peter Sellars) in L.A. Stayed for the whole performance, too. Fortunately, my date also thought it was extraordinarily silly. (She admitted to being hesitant about mentioning her, um, reservations.... But when I started in on it, she laughed and topped every complaint of mine with one of her own. )