"Danse Antique" from Faust
Charles Gounod (1818-93)
Gounod entertained for a time a casual interest in studying for the priesthood, but it was never a serious vocation, and he finally relinquished it without regret. But during his early years he composed a great deal of music for the church. The gifted mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot persuaded him to write his first opera, Sapho, produced in 1851. As is so frequently the case, Gounod's first two operas were failures (few composers--even the greatest--manage to solve the problems of dramatic expression and theatrical timing on their first outings). But in 1858 he became associated with the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris; during the next decade he wrote five operas for that theater, and they include the works by which Gounod is most frequently remembered today. The first of these--and the most lasting success of Gounod's life--was Faust (1859), which was regarded, a generation or two ago, as one of the few "perfect" operas ever composed. The "ancient dance" takes place in the final act during a scene in which Faust sees a vision of the most beautiful queens and courtesans of antiquity.