Szenen aus Goethes Faust

Goethe’s dramatic poem Faust marked the life of Robert Schumann (1810-1856), whose work on scenes from Faust was considered his Magnum Opus. In 1587, the first written record about Johann Georg Faust (c. 1480-c. 1540) appeared – in the publication Historia von Dr. Johann Fausten –, in which it was said that the scientist had made a pact with the Devil in exchange for knowledge. Faust’s insatiable desire for knowledge later attracted Goethe (1749–1832), who dedicated to him two parts of a verse tragedy, published in 1808 and 1832.

In 1844, and as a result of Schumann’s fascination with Faust’s internal debates, the struggle between good and evil and the final redemption, the German composer began composing his Szenen aus Goethes Faust. The Szenen aus Goethes Faust are the pinnacle of Schumann’s mastery, who knew how to combine the intimacy of the Lied, the solemnity of sacred music, the colloquialism of the conversation between Faust and Marguerite, the grandeur and drama of the opera and the sublime of choral writing. service of one of the greatest texts in the German language, illuminating it even in its darkest passages.

Location: