In 1828 Berlioz wrote the "Huit scènes de Faust". The work was soon withdrawn but almost twenty years later each of the eight scenes found a place in the Légende dramatique "La damnation de Faust" dedicated to Franz Liszt.  The first part of the "Damnation" exposes the figure of Faust and has an introductory nature. From the second part onwards, the course of action is largely based on Goethe’s drama.<br>
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Contrasting characters and dramatic effect are of central importance in understanding Berlioz’s musical thought and his compositional process.  Magic and fairy tale, incantations and ghosts, have been the ever-recurring themes of opera since the Baroque.  It is precisely this fantasy in Berlioz's Faust, the “Opéra de Concert en Quatre acts”, which comes very close to the spirit of Goethe's presentation.<br>