Mefistofele

Mefistofele makes a wager with heaven that he can prove there is not one redeemable man in the whole world, and he means to do so by tempting the most scholarly and most pious man he can think of: Doctor Faust himself. He visits Faust on Easter Sunday, and makes him an offer: in exchange for his soul, Mefistofele will give Faust everything he desires. Faust immediately accepts.

Stepping onto Mefistofele’s magic cloak, the two of them embark on an adventure where Faust will fall in love again and again, and have everything his heart desires. Faust is returned to his youth, and together they witness a Witches’ Sabbath, and join Helen of Troy in Elysium. But, ultimately, it was all in vain. The more Faust experiences, the more empty it all seems. He returns to his books, with the conviction that he should never have left them, and it is there he dies, offering himself to god. As in Goethe’s original, Faust is accepted into heaven, and Mefistofele is left with nothing.

Boito’s Mefistofele is an operatic feast of choruses, dances, satanic ritual, and heavenly rapture.

Prologue

• Prelude: ‘Ave, Signor degli angeli e dei santi’ - Chorus (La Falangi Celesti)
• ‘Ave, Signor’ - Mefistofele
• ‘T’è noto Faust? … Il più bizzarro pazzo’ - Chorus (Coro Mysticus), Mefistofele
• ‘Sanctus! Sanctus!’ - Chorus (La Falangi Celesti)
• ‘Siam nimbi volanti dai limbi’ - Mefistofele, Chorus (Cherubini)
• ‘Salve, Regina!’ - Chorus

Act 1

Scene 1

• ‘Perché di là?’ - Chorus
• ‘Al soave raggiar di primavera’ - Faust, Wagner
• ‘Juhè! Juhè! Juheisa! Juhè!’ - Chorus (Popolani)
• ‘Sediam sovra quel sasso’ - Faust, Wagner, Chorus

Scene 2

• ‘Dai campi, dai prati’ - Faust, Mefistofele
• ‘Son lo spirito che nega’ - Mefistofele
• ‘Se tu mi doni un’ora di roposo’ - Faust, Mefistofele
• ‘Fin da stanotte’ - Mefistofele, Faust

Act 2

Scene 1

• ‘Cavaliero illustre e saggio’ - Margherita, Faust, Mefistofele, Marta
• ‘Dimmi, se credi, Enrico, nella religione… Non vo’turber le fedi delle coscienze buone’ - Margherita, Faust
• ‘Dio clemente, nuove, ignara son del mondo …. E l’analito superno… Ah! Davver? Né in trappola cadest Ancor? … Non so, credetelo, che sia l’amore’ - Margherita, Faust, Marta, Mefistofele

Scene 2

• ‘Su, cammina, cammina, cammina’ - Mefistofele
• ‘Folletto, folletto, folletto!’ - Faust, Mefistofele, Chorus, Streghe, Stregoni
• ‘Popoli! E scettro e clamide non date al Re sovrano?’ - Mefistofele, Streghe, Stregoni
• ‘Ecco il mondo?’ - Mefistofele, Streghe, Stregoni
• ‘Stupor! Stupor!’ - Mefistofele, Faust, Streghe, Stregoni

Act 3

• ‘L’altra notte in fondo al mare’ - Margherita, Faust, Mefistofele
• ‘Dio di pietà!’ - Margherita, Faust
• ‘Lontano, Lontano, Lontano’ - Margherita, Faust
• ‘Sorge il dì’ - Mefisteofele, Margherita, Faust
• ‘Spunta … L’aurora pallida’ - Margherita, Faust, Mefistofele, Chorus (La Falangi Celesti)

Act 4

• ‘La luna immobile innonda’ - Elena, Pantalis, Faust
• ‘Ecco la notte del classico sabba’ - Mefistofele, Faust
• ‘Ah! Trionfi ad Elena’ - Coretidi (Chorus)
• ‘Notte cupa, truce, senza fine, funebrei’ - Elena, Coretidi
• ‘Forma ideal purissima della bellezza eternal’ - Faust, Elena, Mefistofele, Pantalis, Nereo, Coretidi

Epilogue

• ‘O rimembranza!’ - Faust, Mefistofele
• ‘Giunto sul passo estremo’ - Faust, Mefistofele
• ‘All’erta! All’erta!’ - Mefistofele, Faust, Chorus (La Falangi Celesti, Cherubini)