Faust

Faust is a disenchanted scholar, fruitlessly seeking the deepest truth. In exchange for his soul, the Devil promises him a life full of pleasure, culminating in one perfectly happy moment. This unlikely duo is driven by recognisable desires with a dark shadow: from tragic love to the blind drive for progress. In the end, redemption awaits, but the road there is a rollercoaster of striving, falling down and always struggling back up. Faust, that's us. Composer Robert Schumann browsed through Goethe's masterpiece and captured the essence in seven iconic scenes, alternating between opera and oratory. According to conductor Philippe Herreweghe, these Szenen aus Goethes Faust are simply made to be staged. Enter: film director Julian Rosefeldt and choreographer Femke Gyselinck. Together they capture the Faustian condition in image and movement. Under an imposing video screen, the stage is populated by a special community of singers, including soloists and Collegium Vocale Gent as well as the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen Chorus and Children's Chorus.