David McVicar's spectacular 2004 production of Gounod’s Faust, featuring a divine cast of opera’s superstars: Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Bryn Terfel, Simon Keenlyside and Sophie Koch.

McVicar is one of the most innovative and in-demand directors, and his lush, haunting realised vision of Faust received glorious praise. The production revels in a gothic, seamy Second French Empire setting, with the Act V ballet “haunting the imagination long after” (The Independent).

“This is opera at its grandest and best” – The Wall Street Journal

“The performances are excellent. Terfel sings with panache and Gheorghiu, unlike most Marguérites, is capable of encompassing both the lyricism of the love scenes and the horror of her subsequent descent into insanity. The real revelation, however, is Alagna, who gives the performance of a lifetime, physically daring - he celebrates Faust's new-found youth by cartwheeling round the stage - and vocally and dramatically responsive to every psychological shift…Funny, erotic and disturbing by turns, Faust makes for a compelling evening”. – The Guardian

“David McVicar's spectacular reinvention of this 19th-century warhorse…Among the most stylish performances was that of Simon Keenlyside as Valentin…Bryn Terfel… gave Mephistopheles a believable domineering menace without compromising the splendour of the voice. Sophie Koch made a fetching moment of Siebel's exquisite number….Alagna…achieving a kind of elegance as well as energy; Gheorghiu eloquent and fluent from the start, the ‘Jewel Song’ supple and eager rather than flashy”. – The Independent

“The Royal Opera scores another bull's-eye with David McVicar's gorgeous and intelligent staging of a Victorian warhorse”. – The Daily Telegraph

“[Terfel’s] is a performance that won''t be forgotten by those privileged to see it. His mere stage presence is electrifying…Mr. Terfel is capable of modulating from a sung sigh to the crack of thunder, with no loss of control or beauty." – The Wall Street Journal

Cast:
- Roberto Alagna: Faust
- Angela Gheorghiu: Marguerite
- Bryn Terfel: Méphistophélès
- Simon Keenlyside: Valentin
- Sophie Koch: Siébel

Live from the Royal Opera House.