“Faust” stands for the composer Gounod himself, who was torn between the expression of excessive sensuality and a deep spirituality which he was searching for in his Catholic faith. As such, in this most important musical setting of Goethe’s drama, the work was given a deeply personal interpretation. <br>
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With a detailed Foreword (Fr/Eng/Ger) this new edition presents the genesis of the work with its various, during Gounod’s lifetime, completely sung versions.<br>
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The main version of our edition was performed at the Paris Opéra on 3 March 1869. However, simple cross references in the score enable a reconstruction of the earlier and later stages of this work for performance. Rounding off this publication is a critical edition of the libretto. All available sources are described and the Critical Commentary provides information about any changes made to the individual numbers.<br>
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The two earlier Faust versions with spoken dialogue will be included in a separate volume within this series (in preparation, BA 8714).<br>
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