Faust

Music drama in a prologue and four acts, 1955-56

Vocal score composed between April 1955 and 19 August 1955
Full score completed 11 May 1956

Gretchen (soprano)
Marthe (mezzo)
Faust (tenor)
Michael (tenor)
Raphael (tenor)
Valentin (tenor)
Mephistopheles (baritone)
Schuler (baritone)
Der Herr (bass)
Gabriel (bass)
Erdgeist (bass)
Bösergeist (bass)
SATB chorus

4 flutes (1 also piccolo), 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets, Eb clarinet, bass clarinet, 3 bassoons (1 also contrabassoon), 6 horns , 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, euphonium, timpani, cymbals, bass drum, 3 side drums, tambourine, triangle, castanets, tam-tam, wind machine, ruthe, bell in G, celesta, glockenspiel, xylophone,

2 harps, organ, strings

c150 minutes

Text: Faust (part 1) Goethe, abridged by the composer and set in German with no English translation

Prologue in Heaven [331 bars] (18´)

Act I
Scene 1: Faust's room [145 bars] (11´)
Scene 2: Faust's room [556 bars] (29´)

Act II
Prelude: Through the air [54 bars] (3´)
Scene 1: The street [94 bars] (7´)
Scene 2: Evening - Gretchen's room [184 bars] (8´)
Scene 3: Gretchen's room [125 bars] (9´)
Scene 4: Gretchen's room [56 bars] (5´)

Act III
Scene 1: Night - the street before Gretchen's door [257 bars] (16´)
Scene 2: Cathedral (Dom) [171 bars] (14´)

Act IV
Scene 1: Gloomy day - country [130 bars] (10´)
Scene 2: Night ride of Faust and Mephistopheles [78 bars] (4´)
Scene 3: Dungeon [262 bars] (17´)

Total [2443 bars] (152´) [FS 268pp]

unpublished, except Prologue in Heaven by United Music Publishers

Articles

Dramatic structure and innovation in Brian's Faust - Professor William E Grim
Brian's use of the German language in »Faust« - Jürgen Schaarwächter

Derived works

Prologue in Heaven [Prolog im Himmel] 2 ten, bar, 2 bass, orchestra (18´)
Prelude to Act II [Durch die Luft] for orchestra (3´)
Abend for orchestra - Prelude to Act II, scene 2
Night ride of Faust and Mephistopheles [Nacht-Offen Feld] for orchestra - from Act IV, scene II (4´) [a] 5:16
Gretchen songs for soprano and orchestra, or piano - from Act II (6´)
Cathedral scene [Dom] for soprano and bass soloists, SATB chorus, organ and orchestra - from Act III (14´)

[a] Walker

Performances

Complete opera

unperformed

Prologue in Heaven
9 March 1979 [first performance] (recording) / 31 March 1979 (broadcast BBC Radio 3) . BBC Maida Vale Studios, London
Soloists, BBC Symphony Orchestra, conductor Sir Charles Mackerras

Night Ride of Faust & Mephistopheles

25/26 June 2009, City Halls, Glasgow / Toccata Classics

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conductor Garry Walker

Toccata Classics TOCC 0113