Hell and damnation

A voice from the past made itself pleasantly present with an invitation to go to the opening night of the opera season.it was a "concertante" performance of The Damnation of Faust by Berlioz. (On the link you should be able to hear some of his music.) I was gently told that they no longer wear tuxedo's for the opening but that it might be fun to dress up...
La damnation de Faust is a romantic drama and Berlioz, being the genius he is, lets it all out, showing off what he can do. Than having an Italian conductor in Cool Flanders, well then there is a special electricity in the air. About Berlioz the say that he has a nice contained feel for earthquakes, for things beyond control... You drown in the sound and I smiled a lot. Poor Faust depression (Goethe, the original author knew what he was writing about, but in French it sounds so much more pathetic), the seduction by Mephistopheles an the love between Magarita and Faust, the student and solders songs and the signing of the pact and then hell and damnation for Faust and heaven for Margarita is the short list of high points. I was partial to Mephistopheles. It was wonderful. This opera that is seldom performed as an opera was first shown in 1846. In the loss of Faust's soul and the horror of hell, there is a section I think that might be considered satanic. I quote:
Tradioun marexil fit trudice burrudixe
Fory my dinkorlitz,
O merikariu! O mevixe! Merikariba
O merikariu! O mi dara caraiobo lakinda,
Merondor dinkorlitz,
Merondor dinkorlitz, merondo,
Tradioun marexil,
Tradioun burridixe,
tundixe caraibo.
Fir ome vixe merondor
Mit aysko,! Oh!

Diff! Diff!
Has! Has! Satan!
Has! Has! Belphegor!
Has! Has! Mefisto!
has! Has! Kroix!
Has! Has! Astaroth!
Has! has! Beëzlebub!
And so on....

A wonderful performance, a warm audience and fun company...