Description
First performed in Paris in 1846, Berlioz's setting of Goethe's Faust remains a tour de force in large-scale orchestration. Berlioz played a important role in the expansion of the Classical orchestra, and his work has is vital study for those tracing the origins of modern orchestral writing. This story of the suicidal thinker that sought the meaning of life in life itself was received with indifference at Berlioz's self-financed premiere. The work is dedicated to Franz Liszt, and the Libretto is given in both French and German where appropriate.