A sort of magic: John Nelson conducts Berlioz' La damnation de Faust in Strasbourg with Michael Spyres & Joyce DiDonato

Berlioz: La damnation de Faust dress rehearsal- Michael Spyres, Joyce DiDonato, John Nelson
Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg (Photo Gregory Massat)

Berlioz La Damnation de Faust; Michael Spyres, Nicolas Courjal, Joyce DiDonato, Alexandre Duhamel, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, John Nelson; Palais de la musique et des congres, Strasbourg
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 25 April 2019
Star rating: 5.0 (★★★★★)
John Nelson returns to Strasbourg and to Berlioz for another inspiring performance

Berlioz: La damnation de Faust dress rehearsal - Nicolas Courjal
Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg (Photo Gregory Massat)

Which musical treatment of Goethe's Faust is truest to Goethe? Discuss.

Undoubtedly Berlioz' La Damnation de Faust is undoubtedly a highly personal take on the story. As ever with Berlioz, the drama works as much through the orchestral and choral contributions as through the singers. Berlioz' assemblage of scenes, almost tableaux, can verge on the picaresque at times but it works for Berlioz's purpose and at times the piece is astonishing.

So it was very heartening to learn that conductor John Nelson was re-uniting with the fine Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg (with which he performed and recorded Berlioz' Les Troyens, see my review) for performances of Berlioz' La Damnation de Faust at the Palais de la musique et des congres in Strasbourg (seen 25 April 2019) with Michael Spyres as Faust, Nicolas Courjal as Mephistopheles, Joyce DiDonato as Marguerite and Alexandre Duhamel as Brander, plus the Coro Gulbenkian and Les Petits Chanteurs de Strasbourg - Maitrise de l'Opera de Strasbourg.

It was my first visit to the Strasbourg concert hall, a handsome 1970s building, and I was impressed with the alive-ness and vividness of the sound. It is not a huge hall, the orchestra and chorus filled the stage (triple woodwind, six harps...), with the children's chorus performing from the rear of the hall for the final scene. The performance was sometimes very loud, yet the hall responded well and the quieter, tender scenes were not lost either.

Berlioz: La damnation de Faust dress rehearsal- Alexandre Duhamel, John Nelson
Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg (Photo Gregory Massat)

John Nelson brought a symphonic sweep to the music with an eye to all the vivid detail in the score. This was large scale Berlioz on modern instruments, but the orchestra's lovely focused sound, particularly the way the strings did not over-dominate, brought the work alive. It was a strong bright sound, and moments like the 'Marche Hongroise' were almost driven. Berlioz' orchestration is often surprising, and both orchestra and conductor showed that they had developed a strong relationship, making these moments magical.

You wonder what style of tenor voice Berlioz had in mind for Faust.