Faust, CG 4: Act II, Waltz Chorus: Ainsi qui le brise legere: Serious Opera, Orchestra Accompaniment, Conductor Score & Parts (EDWIN F KALMUS)

This excerpt gives orchestras and opera companies a self-contained concert piece that audiences immediately connect with. The waltz captures everything Gounod does best—memorable melody, transparent orchestration that lets every section sing, and the kind of charm that reminds people why they love opera in the first place.

Springtime in the streets of Paris, captured in three-quarter time. The music sparkles with flirtation and youth; there's a lightness and optimism in the melody that contrasts beautifully with the darker dramatic arc surrounding it. Beneath the surface charm runs Gounod's sophisticated harmonic and orchestral craft, rewarding close listening.

Orchestras, opera companies, and professional ensembles seeking a signature 19th-century French opera excerpt for concert programming. This score and parts are designed for conductors and musicians familiar with operatic performance practice and full orchestral textures.

• Conduct the waltz with a light hand; the grace of the piece depends on a buoyant, nearly elastic pulse rather than a heavy three.
• Balance the soloists against the chorus carefully in rehearsal. The chorus should support and frame the solo voices without overwhelming them, even with full orchestra underneath.
• Shape the string lines with particular attention to Gounod's hairpins and dynamic contours. His orchestration relies on subtle swells and releases to create forward motion in the melody.
• Allow the woodwind colors (particularly the flutes and oboes) to float over the texture. They're not secondary; they're often carrying important melodic material or painting harmonic color.

Program this excerpt as a concert centerpiece or as the opening of an all-opera or French repertoire concert. Its length and self-contained structure make it ideal for building a thematic program around 19th-century French opera, or pairing it with other orchestral or choral works from the same period.

• Conducting lyrical, flowing meter in three without losing orchestral cohesion
• Balancing solo voices and chorus within full orchestral texture
• Executing French operatic style and articulation across multiple instrument families
• Shaping long orchestral lines that support vocal melody
• Coordinating ensemble entrances and cutoffs across a large score