FAUST Gounod – Opéra de Lille

The aged Faust has read all the books. As his final hour approaches, neither science nor faith are worth as much to him as ‘the treasure that contains them all’ youth. To regain it, he will sell his soul to the restless incarnation of the devil, Mephistopheles. But will Marguerite's love and divine power thwart the devil's plans?

Few operas have enjoyed such an enviable fate as Gounod's Faust. Well received at its premiere, followed by international success, which still makes it the most performed French opera in the world today, just behind Carmen. But should we take this Faust literally? Or should we see it, in the twist of the fable, as a celebration of pleasures? From the demonic dance of the Golden Calf led by Satan himself to Marguerite laughing at her own beauty in the mirror, the audience can enjoy all the excesses, intoxicated by the music... without risking damnation. In Opéra de Lille’s production, this contradiction does not escape astute analysis of director Denis Podalydès. He sees here ‘a fundamentally anti-Puritan opera in a Puritan world, yet one that espouses its religious code and pretends to observe it. There is a dual or duplicitous aspect to this work – a structural hypocrisy typical of France’s Second Empire. For Gounod is a true Catholic plagued by demons that are all the more demonic because he is a fervent Christian.’ After examining another great figure of the theatre, Falstaff, Podalydès and his distinguished team tackles Goethe's tragic hero, using Jules Barbier's spoken dialogues, which were part of the work when it was first performed in 1859, to bring out all its ambiguities. A way of celebrating the eternal youth of Gounod's opera.

New production Opéra de Lille
Co-production Opéra-Comique / Palazzetto Bru Zane

Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 12 September 2025 at 19:00 CET to 12 March 2026 at 12:00 CET: https://operavision.eu/performance/faust

CAST

Faust
Julien Dran

Marguerite
Vannina Santoni

Méphistophélès
Jérôme Boutillier

Valentin
Lionel Lhote

Siebel
Juliette Mey

Wagner
Anas Séguin

Dame Marthe
Marie Lenormand

Orchestra
Orchestre National de Lille

Chorus
Choeur de l'Opéra de Lille

Music
Charles Gounod

Text
Jules Barbier, Michel Carré

Director
Denis Podalydès

Conductor
Louis Langrée

Associate Director
Laurent Delvert

Sets
Éric Ruf

Costumes
Christian Lacroix

Lights
Bertrand Couderc

Choreography
Cécile Bon

Chorus master
Mathieu Romano
Louis Gal

Vocal coach
Nicolas Chesneau

Masks
Louis Arène

Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision.

Managed by Opera Europa, OperaVision is a freeview streaming platform supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe funding programme. Between 2025 and 2028, Creative Europe’s support will help Opera Europa to promote and train emerging artists working in opera and dance. Known as Opera Europa Next Generation, this initiative will give visibility and development opportunities to over 560 emerging artists – in person and online, including via OperaVision – and all thanks to the efforts of a consortium of 44 opera houses and talent development organisations from 17 European countries.

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