Arrigo Boito's greatest claim to fame might rest on his role as librettist for Ponchielli's La Gioconda and Verdi's late masterworks Otello and Falstaff, but he was also a composer in his own right, although his only completed opera was this take on the Faust legend. While poorly received at its 1868 premiere, Boito's 1875 revision was a success and it has retained a tenuous place in the repertory. Roland Schwab's 2015 Bayerisches Staatsoper staging of the later version is certainly elaborate, albeit in Eurotrash style. The massive set consists of a half-circle of overarching metal scaffolding, which houses first the devil's domain—a place full of debris and people costumed to look decadent in a risibly 1970s sense (Mefistofele is garbed like some Vegas lounge lizard)—and later a carousel with women writhing on the floor, before transforming into what looks like an old-age home or mental institution. The visual cacophony never comes together in any unified concept—more like mere spectacle for spectacle's sake—but happily the musical side is far more praiseworthy. The company orchestra plays eloquently for Omer Meir Wellber, and René Pape and Joseph Calleja could hardly be bettered as Mefistofele and Faust, with Kristine Opolais only slightly less impressive as Margherita, who is doomed by her romantic involvement with Faust. The two versions from San Francisco (VL-1/91 and VL-1/15) are also sung well and more traditional in style, and while less visually spectacular than Schwab's mounting, both are truer to the spirit of the work. Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and PCM stereo, the musical virtues here make this a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)
Mefistofele
(2015) 140 min. In Italian w/English subtitles. DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $34.99. C Major/Unitel (dist. by Naxos of America). Volume 32, Issue 2
Mefistofele
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