The four soloists are exactly right for these roles and they all live up to their reputations. Crespin sings an eloquent, beautiful Marguerite; her "D'amour l'ardente flamme" is vociferously applauded. Gedda is very fine, the voice fresh and attractive, the phrasing second to none. Blanc delivers an elegant Devil with his sonorous baritone and sexy French. The chorus (so important in this work) is superb, singing with strength and drama. Markevich leads an exciting performance that isn't quite complete. Missing are the trumpets sounding retreat at the beginning of the third part and, unbelievably, Faust's big "Nature immense" aria. Whether these were cut from the performance or just missing from the master tape, I don't know. The end of the trio for Faust, Marguerite, and Mephistopheles is also missing, but that sounds like it was lost in transmission.Even incomplete this is worth hearing, especially for the three leads.

This is a very good performance of DAMNATION. The cast is quite wonderful. Blanc may be a little light for Mefistofeles but he sings very well. Gedda is a wonderful, ardent Faust and Crespin is gorgeous as Marguerite. There is such bloom on the voice at this time and she knows the style very well. The sound is very good.