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In 70 years, moving away from Gounod's opera genre. This instability has affected some of the ideological and artistic positions of the composer, whose lifetime is constantly, confronted democratic tendencies and clerical ideas at the end of the creative ways still prevailed. In the past two decades, along with marginal operas, he wrote many religious works. Among them, the oratorio "Redemption" (1882), "The Death and Life" (1884), spiritual songs.
Gounod died in 1893, leaving a legacy of twelve operas, more than a hundred romances and songs, many male choirs, three symphonies, pieces for various instruments, and spiritual writings.
Among the rather numerous operatic heritage Gounod opera "Faust" has a special and you may say, the exclusive place. Her worldwide fame and popularity do not know no equal among other operas by Gounod. The historical significance of the opera "Faust" is especially great because it was not only the best, but in essence the first of the operas of a new direction. At the time of the staging of "Werther" opera "Faust" has stood for thousands of submissions.
One of the main reasons for the popularity of "Faust" was that it focused the best and innovative features of the young genre of lyric opera: Emotionally direct and bright individual channel of the inner world of opera characters, colorful and richly illustrated life background, which deployed all the emotional drama of conflict and Margaret Faust. It replaces here sometimes is not enough depth and psychological revelation of human character, this full-blooded life-force that is inherent in the French music only "Carmen" by Bizet. Certainly, one of the greatest strengths of the opera was her bright melodic style, which grew on the basis of French song and lyric romance middle of the XIX century.
Gounod appeal to the greatest literary source turn of XVIII and XIX centuries, was not isolated and not randomly.
Many composers who worked in the genre of lyric opera, turned to the works of Shakespeare, Goethe, and found in them are deep and sharp conflicts in life, not solved in the household, and in general human aspect, bright and complex human characters. Of course, in "Faust" by Gounod could not find an adequate mapping of the deepest philosophical meaning of the tragedy, the most serious problems associated with the leading social and philosophical views turn of the century. |