Arrigo Boito is one of the most unique figures in the history of music, not least of all because of his work as a poet: he is responsible for some of the finest librettos ever written for opera (including, for example, Otello). Smitten with Wagner and metaphysics, it's no surprise that he became enamoured with Goethe's Faust, in particularly with the figure of the devil. Mefistofele is his sole completed opera for which he also composed the music. Balázs Kovalik's thrilling production focuses on the mystery of the eternal duel between God against Satan, using powerful imagery to amplify Boito's own personalised poetic treatment of the subject. "The greatest mystery of all isn't the fact that one is thrust into the infinity of creation and the cosmos, but rather that in one in captivity there, we become aware of thoughts powerful enough to make us doubt that our lives are not simply fleeting moments of nothingness after all." (Béla Hamvas)

Running time 3 hours 45 minutes including two intervals