Mefistofele

Discover Mefistofele, Arrigo Boito’s only completed opera, on medici.tv!

Premiered at La Scala in Milan on March 5, 1868 by the composer himself, Mefistofele is Boito’s innovative operatic adaptation of Goethe’s Faust, drawing on both parts of the tragic play. The opera opens with the wager struck between Mephistopheles and the heavenly host: the devil claims that he can corrupt the soul of Doctor Faust, an aging scholar with an insatiable thirst for the absolute. Seduced by Mephistopheles’ promises of renewed youth and earthly pleasures, Faust accepts the deal and embarks on a journey starting with a tragic passion leading to young Marguerite’s downfall, and ending in Ancient Greece, where he wins the heart of Helen of Troy. Weary and disillusioned by the end, Faust turns to God for forgiveness and is redeemed, despite Mephistopheles’ bitter frustration. Following the revolutionary lead of Richard Wagner, Boito served as both composer and librettist to have full control in the creation of this original opera.

An Artistic Manifesto: From Fiasco to Triumph

The tumultuous premiere of Mefistofele at La Scala in 1868 was a spectacular failure. Twenty-six year old Arrigo Boito was associated with Milan’s avant-garde Scapigliatura movement and sought to push the boundaries of opera. The result was a five-hour opera deemed too risky for the Italian public due to its Wagnerian aesthetics. After only two performances, the opera was withdrawn from programs. Devastated by this failure, Boito radically revised his score by cutting out an entire act, tightening the drama, and recasting Faust as a tenor rather than a baritone. This revised version premiered in Bologna on October 4, 1875, to a warmer reception, with Boito continuing to revise the work until the final version was performed at La Scala in 1881. Although Mefistofele was never as popular as Gounod’s Faust, the title role’s  foreboding bass part, has attracted generations of legendary singers, from Fyodor Shalyapin to Cesare Siepi.

Boito’s Mefistofele on medici.tv

As the world’s leading classical music streaming platform, medici.tv is the perfect place to explore the overlooked treasures of Italian opera, including Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele. Our catalog of more than 4,500 programs features a wealth of opera performances by the world’s leading opera houses and singers. This page features all available performances of this sweeping metaphysical epic, brought to life by great lyric basses who embody the demonic Mephistopheles. To delve deeper, be sure to browse our playlists celebrating Italian opera and the myth of Faust in musical tradition!