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19/09/2010

Faust is tempted into a contract with the Devil. He plunges into the enjoyment of sensuality until his emotions are stirred by a meeting with Gretchen, leading to a tragic outcome.

By Johann Wolfgang Goethe, translated by John R. Williams, with Samuel West as Faust, Toby Jones as Mephistopheles, Anna Maxwell Martin as Gretchen and Derek Jacobi as The Lord. Adapted and directed by David Timson, with music composed by Roger Marsh.

Goethe's Faust, one of the pillars of Western literature, is presented in a dramatisation by David Timson. In Part 1, following an agreement between Mephistopheles and The Lord, the scholar Faust is tempted into a contract with the Devil. His life is changed and he plunges into the enjoyment of sensuality until his emotions are stirred by a meeting with Gretchen, leading to a tragic outcome. Part 2, written much later in Goethe's life, presents a series of episodic scenes in which the poet places his eponymous hero in a variety of surprising circumstances reflecting the predicament of humanity. Funny, reflective and moving, this dramatisation shows why Goethe's Faust had such a massive influence on Western culture.

Faust ..... Samuel West
Mephistopheles ..... Toby Jones
Gretchen ..... Anna Maxwell Martin
The Lord ..... Derek Jacobi
Wagner (Faust's assistant) ..... Stephen Critchlow
Martha ..... Joannah Tincey
Valentin (Gretchen's brother) ..... Peter Kenny
Helen ..... Emily Raymond
The Emperor ..... Gunnar Cauthery
The Earth Spirit and Thales ..... Sean Barrett
Lord Chancellor and Anaxagoras ..... Hugh Dickson
Homunculus ..... Anne-Marie Piazza
Nereus ..... Gerard Horan
Chiron and Proteus ..... Gunnar Cauthery
Manto and Panthalis ..... Auriol Smith
Lynceus ..... Peter Kenny
Care ..... Emily Raymond
Euphorion ..... Daniel Mair

Music by Roger Marsh
Musicians: The 24, directed by the composer with Peyee Chen (soprano) Georgina Wells (harp) and Mark Hutchinson (oboe)
Sound Design and Additional Music by Norman Goodman.
Adapted and Directed by David Timson.
Producer: Nicolas Soames.
An Ukemi Production for Radio 3.

2 hours, 5 minutes

Last on

Sun 19 Sep 2010 18:45

Credits

Role Contributor
Author Johann von Goethe
Faust Samuel West
Mephistopheles Toby Jones
Gretchen Anna Maxwell Martin
The Lord Derek Jacobi
Wagner (Faust's assistant) Stephen Critchlow
Martha Joannah Tincey
Valentin (Gretchen's brother) Peter Kenny
Earth Spirit Sean Barrett
Composer Roger Marsh
Composer Norman Goodman
Director David Timson
Adaptor David Timson
Producer Nicolas Soames

Broadcast

  • Sun 19 Sep 2010 18:45