With the arrival of the new year, the Carnival Festival of Maggio begins, dedicated to Faust and its author, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Friday 13 January 2022 at 20, on the podium of the Sala Mehta, maestro Marc Albrecht at the helm of the Choir and Orchestra del Maggio for the inaugural symphonic concert of the new Festival.
On the bill “Faust-Symphonie” by Franz Liszt.

Florence, 9 January 2023 – After the Autumn Festival dedicated to the great Giuseppe Verdi, the curtain finally rises on the Carnival Festival aimed at the figure of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and at Faust, his magnum opus published in 1808 to which he dedicated almost sixty years of work.

The Festival is therefore dedicated to the poet from Frankfurt and to his masterpiece; not only for the opera programming, in which Ferruccio Busoni’s Doktor Faust stands out, which will be conducted by Cornelius Meister and directed by Davide Livermore on the bill from 7 to 21 February, but also as regards concerts, where the themes and atmospheres of the “Faust” will be the common thread of a large part of the numerous shows.

Friday, January 13 in Zubin Mehta Hall, at 8 pm, the Carnival Festival begins with the first symphonic concert of the year, conducted by maestro Marc Albrecht conducting the Choir and Orchestra del Maggio: on the bill Eine Faust-Symphonie R 425 in three parts for tenor, male choir and orchestra by Franz Liszt.

The symphony debuted in Weimar in 1857, conducted by Liszt himself, on the occasion of the inauguration of the bronze monument dedicated to Goethe and Friedrich Schiller, linked in life by a long and extraordinary friendship and portrayed side by side in the statue. The vast symphony is divided into four movements: the first three the composer defines as “Charakterbilder”; true psychological portraits, dedicated to the inseparable trinity of Goethe’s novel. This was the original project, on which, during the three years that separate the conclusion of the writing work from the first performance, the decision was made to add a “Chorus mysticus” as a final panel.

During the performance of the symphony, alongside maestro Albrecht, the tenor Joseph Dahdah, trained at the Accademia del Maggio and recently engaged in the performances of Don Carlo directed by Daniele Gatti.
The choir master is Lorenzo Fratini.

The myth of Faust found its maximum affirmation in the nineteenth century, fascinating legions of writers, painters and musicians. Among the latter, after Schubert, Schumann, Berlioz and Gounod – to name just a few – Franz Liszt too was infected with the Faustian disease and in 1854 composed the Faust-Symphonie in three parts for tenor, male choir and orchestra. A hybrid work between program symphony and symphonic poem, the Faust-Symphonie is divided into three movements defined by Liszt as Charakterbilder, or portraits of the three protagonists of Goethe’s novel (Faust, Margherita and Mephistopheles), to which the author added in one phase following the Chorus mysticus, which marks the end of the work. In the opening movement (Faust) there are no less than five of the seven themes used by Liszt during the symphony; they depict the psychological complexity of the protagonist, passing through a wide range of moods. Anguish, torment, youthful impetus, loving passion and the desire for absolute knowledge take shape in the succession of themes entrusted to both individual instruments and entire orchestra sections. The second movement (Margherita) acts as a counterpoint to the versatility of the Faustian movement. The last two themes belong to the angelic woman: the first is a simple melody with an archaic flavor initially entrusted to the oboe accompanied by the viola, the second is instead a love theme that develops between the various orchestral families. Mephistopheles, as a spirit of negation, does not possess any characteristic theme in the third movement, but as the protagonist’s alter ego he mockingly appropriates the themes belonging to Faust, after having transformed and distorted them in the melodic and rhythmic profile. In the feverish rush of the Scherzo the negative influence of Mephistopheles seems to overwhelm everything except the theme of Margherita, which remains intact and untouched. To underline the power of the girl’s supreme love, who at the end of the novel intercedes for Faust saving him from eternal perdition, Liszt decided to add the Mystical Choir as the last sound panel, called upon to sing the verses dedicated to the saving power of the eternal feminine: a sweet and luminous song that closes the work, rising to the highest spheres of Liszt’s inspiration.

Marc Albrecht is back on the podium at the Maggio almost twelve years after his debut, which took place in March 2010 and six years after his last concert held at the Florentine theater in February 2017: at the outset, the maestro held the position of assistant conductor of Claudio Abbado with the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. In 1995 he was appointed Music Director of the Darmstadt Staatstheater, a position he held for six years, and in 2006 he assumed the position of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchester Philharmonique de Strasbourg. He has collaborated with Berliner Philharmoniker, Concertgebouworkest, City of Birmingham, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Staatskapelle of Dresden, Munchner Philharmoniker and Wiener Symphoniker. Albrecht made his debut at the Royal Opera House in London with Wagner’s Der fliegende Hollaender; he also conducted Henze’s Der Prinz von Homburg at Theater an der Wien, Alban Berg’s Lulu at the Geneva Opera and at the Salzburg Festival, Tannhäuser and Die Soldaten in Zurich, Elektra, Kotezh and the world premiere of Manfred Trojahn’s Orestes in Amsterdam. In 2012 he made his debut at the Teatro alla Scala with Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten. Marc Albrecht has made numerous recordings for the Pentatone record label with the Orchester Philharmonique de Strasbourg, including Strauss’ Symphonic Poems, Concertos by Dvorák and Schumann with Martin Helmchen, Korngold’s Symphony in F sharp and orchestral music by Berg, Dukas, Koechlin and Ravel. With the Netherlands Philharmonic he recorded Das Lied von der Erde by Mahler in 2013. In summer 2020, he recorded The Little Mermaid by Alexander Zemlinky for Pentatone, receiving the OPUS KLASSIK as “Conductor of the Year”.

Joseph Dahdah began studying singing at the age of 12. Arrived in Italy he continued his studies in Rome with the soprano Raina Infantino, to then obtain the 1st and 2nd level diploma in Opera singing with full marks and honors at the Briccialdi Higher Institute of Musical Studies in Terni, under the guide of the mezzo-soprano Ambra Vespasiani. From 2020 to 2022 he is a member of the Young Artists Program of the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. He has participated in numerous Masterclasses with Richard Barker, Luca Salsi, Eva Mei, Bruno de Simone, Tatiana Chivarova. He has sung in numerous operas, oratorios, concerts and festivals in Lebanon, Italy, Germany, Venezuela, Poland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. He has recently taken part in numerous productions of the Maggio, including Il Trovatore conducted by Zubin Mehta, Ernani conducted by James Conlon and I due Foscari conducted by Carlo Rizzi and Don Carlo conducted by Daniele Gatti.