Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: Damnation of Faust

Charles Dutoit is renowned as a supreme interpreter of Berlioz's epic masterpiece The Damnation of Faust, and he is joined for this concert by a truly stellar cast, each celebrated for their outstanding expressive powers. Berlioz described the work not as an opera or oratorio, but as a 'légende dramatique'. Berlioz became transfixed by Goethe's version of the Faust story, declaring 'I could not put it down. I read it incessantly, at meals, in the theatre, in the street.' The tale that so gripped Berlioz is illuminated by his uniquely beautiful music, full of exquisite orchestral colours and fluid vocal writing.