Toni Marie Palmertree as Marguerite. Photo by Kiirstn Pagan.
The Engineers Club in Baltimore’s Mt. Vernon Square is one of the most beautiful, small performance halls I’ve ever seen, and how wonderfully appropriate that Opera Baltimore is housed there. This outstanding company completed their 14th season on April 30with their concert version of Gounod’s “Faust” and their lush and lavish voices have never sounded better.
Just walking up the stone steps facing Mt. Vernon Square fills me with anticipation for the afternoon’s musical pleasure. The light-filled atrium is the perfect setting for mingling pre-show, and with a glass of bubbly in hand it was, to say the least, a grand introduction to the performance to follow, as it always is.
In full disclosure, I’ll admit that “Faust” is not my favorite opera. I first saw this piece in Cincinnati some 40 years ago and most likely due to the lack of exposure to this genre, I found it tough going indeed to sit there listening with feigned interest. I am happy to report that with maturity, I have a newfound appreciation, both for the magnificent voices and the subject matter itself. I can honestly say that the level of craftsmanship and sheer talent evident in every note was sublime. In the years I have covered this wonderful company, I have always come away from a performance with the sense that I have borne witness to something truly brilliant. This capstone of Opera Baltimore’s season just further solidified my belief that our little city houses some of the best talent anywhere.
This uber-talented cast was as professionally perfect as any I’ve seen…
Gounod’s “Faust” (it has been done so many times in books, movies, bad parodies, that it is necessary to reference the opera as ‘Gounod’s Faust’) first hit the Paris stage in 1859. Since then, it has been performed innumerable times and is a staple on opera stages around the world, from La Scala to Australia and everywhere in between. Pretty much everyone is aware of the story of the man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal life, or riches, or some other bad trade-off. But there has rarely been a telling as detailed as this version. Faust, an aging and disillusioned man, is on the brink of suicide. Mephistopheles, being nothing if not a scheming opportunist, latches onto Faust’s desperation and offers him an alternative to the eternal lights out. He shows the Faust a beautiful, young maiden (because you always have to have a beautiful young maiden in an opera) and tells him, ‘Faust, suppose I were to make you young, handsome, and irresistible to this girl? All I’d ask for in return is your immortal soul. Deal?’ Faust takes the deal and the whole thing goes horribly wrong. He ends up killing the lovely Marguerite’s brother who has become highly incensed at Faust for getting his little sister in the family way without benefit of marriage. Old Faust, the louse, really should have put a ring on it. Marguerite goes crazy, kills the child, and then Faust comes back to her. He disappeared at some unexplained point between Acts 3 and 4 but by now, Marguerite is in prison for infanticide. Without giving away the finale, let’s just say, it’s opera—NOBODY comes out of it for the better. But the story is fairly entertaining for all the bad luck and mayhem.
The opera was so carefully and attentively directed by Catrin Davis; the enormously complicated piano score was meticulously played by Jonathan King (who did double duty as the cover coach and choirmaster); and the whole production was conducted with such precision by Josh Quinn, that even audience members who may have not been huge fans (mea culpa) were mesmerized.
There were a couple of understudy performances at this final show of the season, but one would never know it. Both Laura Zahn as Seibel and Karoline Guerin as Marthe Schwerlein sang beautifully. The rest of the principals were all superb. This uber-talented cast was as professionally perfect as any I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a number of operatic performances both locally and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Of course, the two amazing performances of the day were Michael John Butler as Faust and Toni Mari Palmertree as Marguerite. These two matched each other in vocal stature and sheer artistic power as well or better as any two condemned lovers on any stage in my recollection. This degree of artistry is why I love this genre so much. This wonderful company deserves to be supported and appreciated. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next season!
Opera Baltimore may be finished for this season, but they have set some lofty goals going forward. With more than the handful of fully-realized operas and recitals every year, they are totally invested in the artistic community of Baltimore with their educational and outreach components. I heartily encourage everyone to peruse their website to keep abreast of their upcoming activities.
Running time: Approximately two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.
“Faust” ran April 28 and 30, 2023 presented by Opera Baltimore at The Engineer’s Club, 11 West Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD 21201. Get a sneak peek at the upcoming 2023-2024 season at the Season Launch Party on June 6, 2023 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm while enjoying an open bar and hors d’oeuvres at the Engineers Club. More information and tickets can be found here.
