(In Person Only) Mefistofele (Act II)
Details
A lecture on the realities of black magic, witchcraft, and demonic arts in Arrigo Boito’s opera Mefistofele. Beginners welcome!
Lecture Topic: Seduction, Black Magic, and Witches’ Sabbaths in Mefistofele (Act II)
Through the gifts of his newfound diabolic companion, Faust recuperates his vitality and youth, capitalizing on his new abilities in the effort to seduce Margherita, a beautiful but naive young woman from town. To assist in the magician’s sensual escapades and dangerous liaison, Mefistofele provides him with a sleeping potion to drug Margherita’s mother and therefore avoid detection during the lovers’ tryst. The couple declares their love despite the rocky foundations of their infatuous and hastened affair. Afterward, the devil transports Faust to the top of a dark (and bald) mountain (sparsely populated by trees) to partake in a Witches’ Sabbath: a Satanic ritual characterized by discordance, chaos, violence, lust, and power. Such dramatizations reflect the tremendous reality of and relationship between seduction and black magic: how the passionate fulfillment of lust and desire are the gateway to spiritual destruction and the development of egotistical powers. While modern people laugh and mock such metaphysical phenomena as the consequence and cause of blind fear, superstition, and ignorance, the truth is that such symbols demonstrate how anyone who cultivates lust with mystical devotion ends up as a demon, a being divorced from the eternal but awakened with powers in, of, and for evil. Such powers are driven by selfishness and produce terror and pain, emotions that are so masterfully depicted in Boito’s terrifying music and choruses in this act. Learn how to conquer lust and to comprehend the essential nature of witchcraft, sorcery, and the machinations of the Black Lodge (the congregations of infernal entities) so as to enact spiritual self-defense and the protection of our spirituality from dark forces.
Light refreshments and snacks will be served before and during the viewing of Act II. Afterward we will have a short break and reconvene for the lecture.
Listen to the previous Mefistofele lecture in this course:
If you have not already, we recommend you listen to or study the following lecture, since it provides much background knowledge that will deepen your understanding of this opera:
Location and Directions
828 Davis St, Suite 5 (Lower Level)
Evanston, IL 60201
There is paid parking across the street in the Sherman Plaza Parking Garage with cheap hourly rates ($6 for 3 to 5 hours).
The 201 and 213 Buses stop across the street at Davis St. and Benson Ave. You can also take the 93, 201, 208, 213, or 250 Bus to Davis and Maple, walking a block East on Davis until reaching our location across from Benson Ave.
The Davis Purple Line stop is half a block away. When arriving, go South on Benson Ave straight ahead to our location on Davis St.
There is also the Davis St. / Evanston Metra Station, whereby you can walk South on Maple and East on Davis.
When you arrive, enter through the front. Go down to the lower level via the stairs to the left or the elevator to the right. We are located in Suite 5.
Please RSVP if you plan to attend. We look forward to seeing you!
(In Person Only) Mefistofele (Act II)