Berlioz
La Damnation de Faust, Op.24
Faust – John Osborn (tenor)
Marguerite – Véronique Gens (mezzo)
Méphistophélès – Gerald Finley (baritone)
Brander – Thomas Dolié (baritone)
Maîtrise de Radio France
Chœur de Radio France Les Siècles
Jakob Lehmann
Proms radio broadcast from the Royal Hall Albert, London
Reviewed by: Rob Pennock
Reviewed: 30 August, 2026
Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London
Goethe’s Faust appealed to the 19th century psyche with its themes of the search for immortality, the nature of humankind, ageing, good, evil, love, damnation and redemption. The best-known vocal setting is probably Gounod’s, but Berlioz was the greater composer and in two hours he wove a miraculous cloth of seamless melody and astonishing harmony, using marvellous orchestration and only four soloists.
Les Siecles, who were at full strength, use period instruments tuned to A432 that correspond to those used in France at around the time of the first performance. UK orchestras tune to 440, most European and American ones to 442 or above and the lower pitch suits singers and brings a more relaxed sound.
Their playing was superb. There were innumerable instances where you heard details and whole lines that modern instruments obscure. The famous Dance of the Sylphs and Will-o’-the-Wisps were ravishing. The only problems came at the start of Faust’s descent to Hell, where the snarling lower brass could have been louder and more threatening, but this was probably down to Lehmann, and a modern orchestra would have brought more weight.
The large professional chorus were equally good, with incisive tone, plenty of body and characterisation in each of their guises.
Lehmann, who was making his Proms debut, tended to keep things moving, sashaying smoothly between the different sections and ensuring the singers breathing and phrasing were fully supported. The only criticism would be that in one or two places, such as Faust’s aria at the beginning of Part 3, he let the tension slip.
Of the soloists, Thomas Dolié gave a spirited, wholly idiomatic Rat’s song. Véronique Gens delivered a beautifully sung and characterised accounts of The King of Thule and Part 4 Romance. Gerald Finley was a suave, understated Devil, a role he has only just undertaken. But he is 66 and the tone has lost much of its shading and focus, and it was impossible not to wonder what he might have made of it in his prime. John Osborn’s bel canto tenor lacks the beauty of tone singers such as Nicolai Gedda and Michael Spyres have brought to the role. Nevertheless, from the opening scene he characterised well, used a reasonably wide dynamic range and negotiated the two high C sharps in the love duet, although the second was more strained. In general, what perhaps was missing was a keener sense of dramatic interplay between the characters. In essence they never really set one another one fire.