Pascal Dusapin

Dusapin’s opera Faustus, The Last Night had an unforgettable Dutch premiere at the ZaterdagMatinee on 13 November 2010. It is hard to imagine a better performance; it was wonderfully conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer and featuring soloists such as John Hancock and Jaco Huijpen.

Jonathan Stockhammer

All of us sometimes dream of eternal youth, perfect health, happy love and freedom to do as we please. Some people are very willing to pay a lot for those things, they will even make a pact with the devil if necessary. See here the inspiration for countless books, poems, operas, musical pieces and paintings


We, humans, we love dreams. And fairy tales. But devils, should they really exist, might have something better to do than serve us for a few decades, in exchange for our souls. Nor are heaven and hell to be taken for granted. Maybe they are made up?

That’s what “Faustus, The Last Night” by Pascal Dusapin (1955) is all about. Forget Goethe, because Mephistopheles is not interested in Faustus’ soul and Faustus does not want to sell anything. There is also no Marguérite, no love and no artistry either. There is NOTHING. A “nulla”, as it was articulated by Iago in Verdi’s Otello. And a total nihilism like that of Mefistofele, from Boito’s opera of the same name.

Dusapin’s opera, a work comprising one night and 11 scenes, was first performed in 2006 at the Staatsoper unter den Linden in Berlin.

Wiecej TUTAJ