About the work
Louise Bertin's opera semiseria in four acts premiered on 7 March 1831 at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris. The 21-year-old composer wrote the libretto herself, in French, after Goethe's Faust Part One; Luigi Balocchi, the theatre's house poet, translated it into Italian, the only language sung there.
Plot
The aged, despairing scholar Fausto calls on the devil to win the love of the young Margarita; Mefistofele rejuvenates him through magic. The seduction that follows leads through guilt to punishment, Bertin's opera tracing the arc of the first part of Goethe's drama.
Cultural significance
Originally written for the soprano Maria Malibran, the premiere was delayed by the July Revolution of 1830 and the title role ultimately went to the tenor Domenico Donzelli. After only three performances the score vanished from the repertoire for close to 190 years, until it was rediscovered and revived by the Palazzetto Bru Zane in 2023.