La damnation de Faust

"Recording of the week: Nelson's obvious affection for this music is evident from the off in an account which stresses the tenderness and the inner details of the score even in potentially bombastic passages ... Spyres is completely inside the character as well as entirely on top of Berlioz's often excruciatingly demanding writing ... Courjal resists the temptation to play to the gallery and instead emphasises Méphistophélès's chilling plausibility ... For me this is the crowning glory of this Berlioz anniversary year - Nelson and Co. should clear some space on the mantelpiece now".

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"The chorus delights with the delicacy of their singing ... There's an enchanting lightness from both choir and orchestra ... I think Rattle scores something of a coup by adding to the voices of the LSC the young singers of the Tiffin choirs. They add a fresh, innocent edge to the choral sound ... Throughout the performance the LSO plays superbly. Of course, Rattle, with his famed attention to detail, is just the man to bring Berlioz's orchestration vividly to life ... Simon Rattle conducts marvellously ... he hits the bulls-eye here ... As the Berlioz 150th anniversary year unfolds there will undoubtedly be many more recordings of his music. I hope they'll be as exciting as this thrilling performance of La damnation de Faust".

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"Everything does, in fact, come together rather effectively in this performance led by Sir Simon Rattle on the orchestra's in-house label, LSO Live. Among the singers, perhaps the most impressive is Christopher Purves who sings Méphistophélès. Dramatically he is totally convincing ... Purves has a rich, attractive voice too ... The various choruses, five in all, sing marvelously throughout the performance, meeting all the considerable challenges in the score. Not surprisingly, the London Symphony Orchestra plays brilliantly as well ... This new effort by Rattle and company compares very favorably at the very least, and at this point is my preferred version of this great piece. It's a fine effort all round then and won't let the listener down".

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"Vinson Cole's Faust is clear-voiced. The first entrance of the chorus is very well characterized and Haitink's unfussy handling of tempo changes is always effective. In other words, this Damnation de Faust gets off to a really fine start, and sums up this performance as a whole ... Haitink's grasp of this score is remarkable ... the dramatic pacing seems completely natural ... Marguerite is sung by the soprano Charlotte Margiono with considerable tenderness ... Haitink at his best".

"A special recording in which the singers' enthusiasm is infectious".

"Nelson has a great feel for the weird structure of the piece, with its sudden lurches of pace and location ... Nelson's pacing is uncannily 'right'; he's not one to force Berlioz, period-style, but he's no slouch either. He tempers excitement with grandeur ... Spyres's golden tenor is so well suited to Berlioz ... This new version is a very serious competitor in the Faust stakes".

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".

"The work and its style - especially the virtuosity and panache required - have clearly remained in the orchestra's collective memory ... Overall it's a tightly organised and carefully paced achievement from the conductor. The soloists and chorus match his lead well ... There's no lack of either angst of love in Bryan Hymel's emotional and stylish reading of the title-part and a special richness about Karen Cargill's fantasies as Marguerite ... Purves manages both wit and a specially sleazy nastiness as the victorious Devil ... So definitely recommended".