FRANZ LISTZ

A predilection for the Gothic is not the exclusive right of hard-rock aficionados or Goths: with its origins in popular lore and transformed into a theatrical pièce by Philip Marlowe, the tale of Faustus has accompanied us through the ages and in many guises; literary, musical and cinematographic. The character of Faustus occupies a central role in a concert directed by Antonio Pappano featuring the world première of a composition by Matteo D’Amico and Ferenc Liszt's symphony dedicated to Faustus; yet another cultural collaboration between Santa Cecilia and Romaeuropa.
Musical director of Santa Cecilia for the past six years, Pappano has always sought to create a recurrent thread through his musical programmes: the common denominator of this concert consists in two variations of the Faustian adventure placed side by side. Still relevant today, the Faustus myth seems to encompass the inexorable desire of man for knowledge and his innate corruptibility when tempted with gratification. Pleasure and knowledge are well worth a pact with the devil and there are infinite variations on this theme: the English language Wikipedia page lists over 230 publications and 5 videogames dedicated to Faustus and the inexhaustible inspiration of this character. The two fundamental literary works written about this mythical character are undoubtedly those by Marlowe and Goethe; two different characters with two different fates, respectively the damnation of Marlowe's Faustus and the salvation of Goethe's. Both necromancer and occultist, Faustus himself seeks a pact with Lucifer with the mediation of Mephistopheles, disregarding the possibility of divine grace. Marlowe proved inspirational for D'Amico's work “Veni, veni Mephistopheles” and uses the Marlowe’s text between Faustus and the good and the bad angels. This is when the philosophical soul of Faustus emerges when rejecting for the second time divine grace, showing his desire for perdition. Even more ambiguous is Goethe's character caught between his desire for knowledge and pleasure; caught up in a futile attempt to save his beloved Gretchen and a voyage through time in search of beauty personified in the goddesses of ancient Greece. His soul is saved by the divine intercession of the female eternity: we have the perfect romantic hero used by Liszt as inspiration for his prodigious symphony; orchestral virtuosity, brilliant harmonics and a inventiveness which renders this work eternal.