News and Features

What you thought of: La damnation de Faust

You can read a selection of press reviews and audience reactions below.

The curtain has now gone up on Richard Jones’ production of Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust.

Read what the critics and audience had to say about the production.

Audience reaction

‘Well I’m here it’s the first night and it’s fantastic as usual!!’

– Facebook comment

‘Fantastic production. Brilliant. Loved it. 👏🏻’

– Facebook comment

‘Glyndebourne never ceases to surprise. A very edgy and dramatic performance. Great theatre.’

– Audience member

‘Boulianne and Purves were excellent. Ticciati and the Phil were on fine form.’

– Audience member

‘Loved the position and styling of the chorus (Donny Darko meets Handmaid’s Tale?)’

– Audience member

‘A challenging piece, interestingly staged – wonderful music!’

– Audience member

La damnation de Faust – trailer

What the critics are saying

‘The large chorus, including two youth choirs, sounded magnificent’

– Daily Telegraph

‘a stunning amalgam of sound and vision for which his production team – designers Hyemi Shin and Nicky Gillibrand, lighting designer Andreas Fuchs, and above all choreographer Sarah Fahie – deserve accolades.’

– The Independent

Robin Ticciati encourages diaphanous, almost period-instrument style textures for Berlioz’s inspired orchestrations, and the London Philharmonic responds with scintillating playing.

– The Times

‘The London Philharmonic play with refined sensuousness of detail, while the Glyndebourne Chorus, augmented for the occasion, sound terrific throughout.’

– The Guardian

‘Allan Clayton has one of the warmest, most lyrical tenor voices around… Clayton’s voice is so beguiling, his phrasing flows so easily that one could not fail to be transported for the moment from the horrors that are about to engulf Faust.’

– Backtrack

‘Mephistopheles was sung with terrific venom and sandpaper tone by Christopher Purves. Julie Boulianne captured Marguerite’s youth, beauty and vulnerability in her keenly focused mezzo’

– The Arts Desk