You have to give the devil — and the angel — their due.
Yes, a fellow named Faust gives Charles Gounod’s best-known opera its name, and it is this character who sets the story in motion, with his ill-advised transaction of trading an eternity in Hell for a second chance to live as a young man.
But what makes the opera “Faust” glorious — and this is especially true of Tulsa Opera’s production, which opened Friday at the Tulsa PAC — are the characters who surround Faust, namely his devilish nemesis Méphistofélès and Marguerite, the young woman who makes Faust want to be young once again.
And Tulsa Opera has cast two superb performers in these roles who, abetted by a richly textured performance by the Tulsa Opera Orchestra conducted by Emmanuel Plasson, and fine direction by Omer Ben Seadia, help lift this production of “Faust” to some heavenly heights. (This review is based on Wednesday’s final dress rehearsal performance.)
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Amanda Woodbury is just about perfect as Marguerite, the innocent young girl who is the true object of Méphistofélès’ machinations. Her performance of the so-called “Jewel Song,” “Je ris de me voir,” was masterful musically and dramatically — Woodbury conveyed the surprise, the joy, the excitement and the wistfulness of this scene with a rich, almost burnished tone that flowed effortlessly through registers.
She was equally good in the mournful “Il ne revient pas,” as Marguerite reflects on Faust’s abandoning her after she gave birth to their child, and in the mad scene at the finale.
Önay Köse gives his Méphistofélès a sly swagger and a surprisingly sharp sense of comic timing. He is a devil confident enough of his charm that he doesn’t need to unleash his dark side to achieve his ends.
Köse has a jovial time taunting the villagers with his “Le veau d’or,” luring Marguerite’s brother Valentin into a fatal duel with the serenade “Vous qui faites l’endormie” and finding himself in a farcical romantic moment with Marguerite’s guardian Marthe (Tara Curtis).
As Faust, Martin Piskorksi is at his best as the elderly version of the character in the opera’s opening scenes — the rage and despair the character feels is palpable in the way Piskorski spits out the line “Hail to my last morning!” seconds before the devil pays him a visit.
Once transformed, Piskorski’s Faust is much more boyish than I’ve seen the character played in the past. The world-weariness has been wiped away like the gray hair, so that when he extols Marguerite’s virtue, “Salut! demeure chaste et pure,” he sings with a wide-eyed innocence. However, the aria’s high C proved troublesome Wednesday night — Piskorski didn’t so much hit the note as fling his voice in its general direction.
Yunpeng Wang, last seen here in “The Pearl Fishers,” is a fine Valentin, giving robust performances of “Avant de quitter ces lieux” as he contemplates going off to war and his denunciation of Marguerite as he dies.
Alyssa Martin is an appealing boyish and rambunctious Siebel, who worships Marguerite from afar.
Lyndon Meyer prepared the Tulsa Opera Chorus, which did outstanding work in the bibulous “Vin ou bière” and the “Soldiers’ Chorus.”
Plasson’s command of the Gounod score was complete, drawing out a performance from the orchestra that retained a tensile strength and depth even in the most delicate passages.
“Faust” concludes with a 2:30 p.m. matinee Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. For tickets: 918-596-7111, myticketoffice.com.