By Courtney Anderson
A timeless tale of good vs. evil, sin and redemption takes the stage Friday in Greenville with Valley Lyric Opera’s performance of Charles Gounod’s “Faust.”
Everyone can relate to some aspect of “Faust,” said founder and president of Valley Lyric Opera Dr. Francisco Cano of Hempfield Township.
Gounod tackles rich themes such as love, life and death through beautiful melodies, said Cano, who plays the title character.
Faust spent his whole life immersed in books and realized too late that he never really lived. As he reaches the end of his life, he sells his soul to the devil in exchange for youth.
In a time where technology and media overwhelm our society, Gounod’s message is as important as it ever was, Cano said.
The most performed opera in history, “Faust” was first staged in 1859; the Metropolitan Opera in New York opened with Gounod’s classic more than 120 years ago.
Gounod’s music is “totally intoxicating,” Cano said, adding that the composer knew how to write for the human voice.
And humankind’s ability to appreciate the beauty all around it is what differentiates us from animals, Cano said.
Cano fell in love with opera and began singing as a child in the Dominican Republic with lifelong friend and world-renowned tenor Francisco Casanova. Cano has even gotten his friend to work with promising young people in the area during periodic master classes.
Valley Lyric Opera’s first performance was “La Traviata” in 1996, Cano said.
And while the shows do not make money for the opera group, “They are good for the spirit of the community,” Casanova said during a recent trip to Greenville.
When operas were first taking off in Europe, it was a “cultural movement of incredible social repercussions,” Cano said. People saw things on stage that were considered scandalous and it gave composers a chance to comment on what was going on in the world around them.
It’s a far cry from the television, music and movies that occupy many people’s free time now.
“There is a difference between superficial entertainment and the impact that a true artist has on society,” Cano said.
While it’s great to have a few laughs and forget about one’s problems for a while, opera “goes well beyond that.” Art can be a force for change in the world, Cano noted.
“It allows people to open their hearts to understand social injustice and beauty beyond the superficial,” Cano said. “I think we need to go there a little bit more.”
“Faust” will be sung in French with English subtitles.
“Faust” starts at 7 p.m. Friday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Penn Avenue and Clinton Street in Greenville. Donations will be accepted at the door.
