Todorovitch:Myers:Casadesus - BERLIOZ: La Damnation de Faust

When Hector Berlioz was sent by his father to study medicine in Paris, he instead entered the Conservatoire to study composition. Goethe's 'Faust', in a French translation by G?�rard de Nerval, formed the basis of La Damnation de Faust, which Berlioz termed an 'op?�ra de concert'. The plot centres on Faust's bargain with M?�phistoph?�l?�s, the seduction of Marguerite, her imprisonment for matricide and her salvation, while Faust himself is dragged down to Hell, in damnation. These events are vividly captured with all Berlioz's craft for dramatic orchestral writing. The opera includes the popular 'R?�k??czy March' and two frequently-performed dance movements: 'Minuet of the Will-o'-the-Wisps' and 'Dance of the Sylphs'. The Orchestre National de Lille and Jean-Claude Casadesus once again perform Berlioz, following their highly successful release of Les nuits d'?�t?� (8.557274), 'The Gramophone' describing their interpretation as sensitive to the subtle melodic lines and the rich orchestration, whilst they played brightly and responsively for Casadesus.