Listen free for 30 days
-
Faust
- Narrated by: Auriol Smith, Gunnar Cauthery, Stephen Critchlow, Hugh Dickson, Anne-Marie Piazza, Sean Barrett
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Abridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £20.39
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 603
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 532
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 529
Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem. Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very good
- By Andyjn on 06-01-16
-
Faust: Parts I & II
- By: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Narrated by: Jack Wynters
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3
Goethe’s two-part dramatic work, Faust, based on a traditional theme, and finally completed in 1831, is an exploration of that restless intellectual and emotional urge which found its fullest expression in the European Romantic movement, to which Goethe was an early and major contributor. Part I of the work outlines a pact Faust makes with the devil, Mephistopheles, and encompasses the tragedy of Gretchen, whom Faust seduces.
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 434
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 353
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 351
In words remarkable for their richness of rhythm and imagery, Milton tells the story of man's creation, fall, and redemption, "to justify the ways of God to men". Here, unabridged, and told with exceptional sensitivity and power by Anton Lesser, is the plight of Adam and Eve, the ambition and vengefulness of Satan and his cohorts.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Sonorous metal
- By Francis on 06-12-07
-
Faust: Parts 1 & 2
- By: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
- Narrated by: Adriel Brandt
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 5
Faust is a tragic play in two parts that reworks the late medieval myth of a brilliant but disillusioned scholar who makes a deal with the devil. Faust is considered by many to be Goethe's masterpiece and the greatest work of German literature. Part I sets out Faust’s despair, his pact with Mephistopheles, and his love for Gretchen. Part II deals with Faust’s life at court, the wooing and winning of Helen of Troy, and his purification and redemption.
-
Alfred Tennyson
- A Collection
- By: Alfred Tennyson
- Narrated by: Philip Bird, Jan Hartley
- Length: 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 - 6 October 1892) was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language. He was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, a rector's son and fourth of 12 children and reportedly a descendant of King Edward III of England.
-
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
- Penguin Classics
- By: Friedrich Nietzsche, R. J. Hollingdale - introduction
- Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
- Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 14
Nietzsche was one of the most revolutionary thinkers in Western philosophy and Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains his most influential work. It describes how the ancient Persian prophet Zarathustra descends from his solitude in the mountains to tell the world that God is dead and that the Superman, the human embodiment of divinity, is his successor. With blazing intensity, Nietzsche argues that the meaning of existence is not to be found in religious pieties or meek submission, but in an all-powerful life force: passionate, chaotic and free.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I love this book
- By Anonymous User on 12-08-21
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 603
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 532
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 529
Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem. Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very good
- By Andyjn on 06-01-16
-
Faust: Parts I & II
- By: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Narrated by: Jack Wynters
- Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3
Goethe’s two-part dramatic work, Faust, based on a traditional theme, and finally completed in 1831, is an exploration of that restless intellectual and emotional urge which found its fullest expression in the European Romantic movement, to which Goethe was an early and major contributor. Part I of the work outlines a pact Faust makes with the devil, Mephistopheles, and encompasses the tragedy of Gretchen, whom Faust seduces.
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 434
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 353
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 351
In words remarkable for their richness of rhythm and imagery, Milton tells the story of man's creation, fall, and redemption, "to justify the ways of God to men". Here, unabridged, and told with exceptional sensitivity and power by Anton Lesser, is the plight of Adam and Eve, the ambition and vengefulness of Satan and his cohorts.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Sonorous metal
- By Francis on 06-12-07
-
Faust: Parts 1 & 2
- By: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
- Narrated by: Adriel Brandt
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 5
Faust is a tragic play in two parts that reworks the late medieval myth of a brilliant but disillusioned scholar who makes a deal with the devil. Faust is considered by many to be Goethe's masterpiece and the greatest work of German literature. Part I sets out Faust’s despair, his pact with Mephistopheles, and his love for Gretchen. Part II deals with Faust’s life at court, the wooing and winning of Helen of Troy, and his purification and redemption.
-
Alfred Tennyson
- A Collection
- By: Alfred Tennyson
- Narrated by: Philip Bird, Jan Hartley
- Length: 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 - 6 October 1892) was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language. He was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, a rector's son and fourth of 12 children and reportedly a descendant of King Edward III of England.
-
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
- Penguin Classics
- By: Friedrich Nietzsche, R. J. Hollingdale - introduction
- Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
- Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 14
Nietzsche was one of the most revolutionary thinkers in Western philosophy and Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains his most influential work. It describes how the ancient Persian prophet Zarathustra descends from his solitude in the mountains to tell the world that God is dead and that the Superman, the human embodiment of divinity, is his successor. With blazing intensity, Nietzsche argues that the meaning of existence is not to be found in religious pieties or meek submission, but in an all-powerful life force: passionate, chaotic and free.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I love this book
- By Anonymous User on 12-08-21
-
Notes from the Underground
- By: Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 224
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 192
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 191
A predecessor to such monumental works such as Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, Notes From Underground represents a turning point in Dostoyevsky's writing towards the more political side.
In this work, we follow the unnamed narrator of the story, who, disillusioned by the oppression and corruption of the society in which he lives, withdraws from that society into the underground.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
wow that was pretty darn good.
- By emil on 05-09-18
-
The Red Book: A Reader's Edition
- Philemon
- By: C. G. Jung
- Narrated by: Mike Fraser
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
The Red Book, published to wide acclaim in 2009, contains the nucleus of C. G. Jung's later works. It was here that he developed his principal theories of the archetypes, the collective unconscious, and the process of individuation that would transform psychotherapy from treatment of the sick into a means for the higher development of the personality.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Footnotes renders the audiobook unlistenable
- By John Bernhard Andersson on 06-07-20
-
The Origins and History of Consciousness
- Bollingen Series
- By: Erich Neumann, R. F. C. Hull - translator, Carl Jung - foreword
- Narrated by: William Roberts
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
The Origins and History of Consciousness draws on a full range of world mythology to show how individual consciousness undergoes the same archetypal stages of development as human consciousness as a whole. Erich Neumann was one of C. G. Jung's most creative students and a renowned practitioner of analytical psychology in his own right. In this influential book, Neumann shows how the stages begin and end with the symbol of the Uroboros, the tail-eating serpent.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
What an important book!
- By Nabaz Anwar on 05-03-21
-
Goethe
- Life as a Work of Art
- By: Rüdiger Safranksi, David Dollenmayer - translator
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 24 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
Rüdiger Safranski's Goethe: Life as a Work of Art is the first definitive biography in a generation to tell the larger-than-life story of the writer considered to be the Shakespeare of German literature. Drawing upon the trove of letters, diaries, and notebooks Goethe left behind, as well as correspondence and criticism from Goethe's contemporaries, Safranski weaves a rich tale of Europe in the throes of revolution and of the man whose ideas heralded a new era.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
excellent, detailed biography of goethe
- By Anonymous User on 17-04-22
-
Inferno: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Benedict Flynn - translator
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 183
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 150
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 149
"Abandon all hope you who enter here." ( "Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch’intrate.") Dante’s Hell is one of the most remarkable visions in Western literature. An allegory for his and future ages, it is, at the same time, an account of terrifying realism. Passing under a lintel emblazoned with these frightening words, the poet is led down into the depths by Virgil and shown those doomed to suffer eternal torment for vices exhibited and sins committed on earth.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Enjoyable, entertaining and educational
- By John Horncastle on 06-11-16
-
The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
- By: Carl Jung
- Narrated by: Martyn Swain
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 52
In this volume, taken from the Collective Works, Jung describes and elaborates upon the two central concepts of his psychology. Included are essays on specific archetypes, a study of the process of individuation, and an account of mandala symbolism. The Journal of Analytical Psychology in its review of the text commented: ‘An eloquent witness to Jung’s greatness of mind and heart. His idea of the archetype involves profound attitudes towards man’s existence and intimates values through which very many people have found a new significance in their lives.’
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Utter Nonesense
- By placidhead on 08-07-21
-
The Psychology of Totalitarianism
- By: Mattias Desmet
- Narrated by: Dan Crue
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 42
Totalitarianism is not a coincidence and does not form in a vacuum. It arises from a collective psychosis that has followed a predictable script throughout history. In The Psychology of Totalitarianism, world-renowned Professor of Clinical Psychology Mattias Desmet deconstructs the societal conditions that allow this collective psychosis to take hold. By looking at our current situation and identifying the phenomenon of “mass formation”—a type of collective hypnosis—he clearly illustrates how close we are to surrendering to totalitarian regimes.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The eclectic perception that everyone needs
- By Anonymous User on 26-07-22
-
The Tempest
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Sir Ian McKellen, Emilia Fox, Scott Handy, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 151
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 130
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 130
Sir Ian McKellen, fresh from his performance as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, is Prospero, and heads a strong cast in Shakespeare’s last great play. The wronged duke raises a tempest to shipwreck his old opponents on his island so that he can ensure justice is done. With Emilia Fox as Miranda, Scott Handy in the pivotal role of the sprite Ariel, and Ben Owukwe as Caliban.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Tempestuous Performance
- By Mr on 24-07-15
-
Modern Man in Search of a Soul
- By: Carl Jung
- Narrated by: Martyn Swain
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 42
This collection of 11 wide-ranging lectures which appeared originally in 1933, was based on lectures previously given when Jung was in the process of absorbing a considerable period of study of Eastern religions, Gnosticism and other religious sources. It was a time, according to the translator Cary F. Baynes, ‘when the Western world stands on the verge of a spiritual rebirth...after a long period of outward expansion, we are beginning to look inside ourselves once more.’
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting take on Jung's work.
- By Anonymous User on 12-01-22
-
Memories, Dreams, Reflections
- By: Carl Jung
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 975
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 828
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 822
In 1957, four years before his death, Carl Gustav Jung, psychiatrist and psychologist, began writing his life story. But what started as an exercise in autobiography soon morphed into an altogether more profound undertaking.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
'Two souls in his breast'
- By Rachel Redford on 06-06-16
-
The Giaour
- By: Lord Byron
- Narrated by: Rob Goll
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
The story is of a female slave, Leila, who loves the Giaour, an infidel, and is in consequence bound, thrown in a sack, and drowned in the sea by her Turkish lord, Hassan. In revenge the Giaour kills Hassan, then in grief and remorse banishes himself to a monastery.
-
Candide
- By: Voltaire
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 3 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 298
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 248
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 249
Candide and his tutor Pangloss travel the globe trying to follow the philosophy "All is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds". However, they are stung and let down at every turn, being robbed, tortured, and ridiculed, amongst other trials. On hearing about their often disasterous travels, a listener feels unfortunately less than empathetic, and can't help themselves laughing out loud at this very funny account of the trail our optimistic travellers take.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Michael Webb on 01-04-20
Summary
Faust is one of the pillars of Western literature. This classic drama presents the story of the scholar Faust, tempted into a contract with the Devil in return for a life of sensuality and power. Enjoyment rules, until Faust’s emotions are stirred by a meeting with Gretchen, and the tragic outcome brings Part 1 to an end. Part 2, written much later in Goethe’s life, places his eponymous hero in a variety of unexpected circumstances, causing him to reflect on humanity and its attitudes to life and death.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
Critic reviews
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
"If it’s been a while since you tackled Goethe’s Faust - like, forever - don’t wait a moment longer. John R. Williams’s sparkling English translation is delightful, full of wit and delicious rhymes, and would be reason enough to fling yourself at it, but this full-cast production more than doubles the pleasure.... The performances are marvelous, and the sound effects clever and often gorgeous (the choir!).... What a great theatrical experience." (AudioFile)
“Listen straight through and you get a vivid experience of the Faust drama in ways you would not get in any other form. The English translation is mellifluous and not stilted, and the recitation is terrific. Anyone who has appreciated the various settings of Faust by Gounod, Berlioz, Schumann, etc., will revel in the full drama enacted in the spirit Goethe intended.... Highly recommended.” (Grego Applegate Edwards, Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review)
More from the same
What listeners say about Faust
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jackboot
- 09-05-19
The performance is very distracting
I understanding what they were going for with trying to add sound effects, music, choirs, and dramatized voice acting. I appreciate the effort. But what I look for in an audiobook is simple narration, without the added frills. I was really disappointed by all of these additions because of how distracting it all is with following the story. Sadly, I could not enjoy it.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Thom Bran
- 16-05-19
Struggled to make heads or tails of this
I understand a 17th century piece is not going to be an easy to digest affair, but for the audiobook format especially, it would have been most prudent and quite rather useful to have a small bit of narration at the start /end of each chapter to guide the listener through the plot. Without this, it got confusing very quickly and my mind wandered off to other thoughts. I'm still entirely uncertain just what this is about, what it's trying to explain, and what I'm supposed to take away from it.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- C. Jenkins
- 08-02-21
Really great dramatisation
Absolutely loved this. The dramatisation, sound effects and characters really brought the story to life. Even bits of music weaved in there. Thoroughly recommend.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-01-21
Phenomenal adaptation but beware it is abridged
I absolutely love the theatrical flair of this adaptation! The modern sound effects are out of place for a 17th century novel but I think that makes them hilarious! They used a modern translation which makes the prose easy to understand. However, beware that this version is abridged. I think the production team has made a good job of keeping the narrative cohesive. Especially considering that an unabridged version would be ~10h long and this is quiet precisely 4h. All in all I really liked it despite it being a bit hard to follow at times.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Canterbury
- 29-09-19
Excellent
This is a super narration of a classic work. Thoroughly enjoyed the performance which was brought to life through the use of various voices. Excellent.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 29-08-18
they're called classics for a reason
amazing production and a great story. Just amazes me that when I listen to classics it just shows you how little has changed with people's behaviour over time.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- L WILSON
- 13-07-16
A modern classic
I Think this goes better as a drama than a book. It makes the story etc. flow making it easier to follow.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 23-02-21
Performance ruined it
Like the story and the ideas but the peformance made it hard to follow and frankly kind of tedious. Would definitely have preferred something closer to the original
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 23-08-19
incredible
highly recommend this audio story. the narrative was incredibly captivating and I continued to listen on for hours.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- cheresse
- 29-09-12
Goethe's play wasn't usually performed in full...
...and now I understand why. The classic tale about a man's deal with the Devil for untold earthly pleasures had a sorrowful and encompassing first half that seems to tell a complete part of the story, which I really enjoyed.
The second half of the play was not really related to the first. It was divided into little story-acts that didn't always relate to each other and often left me confused. While it was easy to follow the first half and infer what would be happening on stage, it was a lot more difficult to do so with the second. Apparently, Goethe wrote the first part long before the second, and the second was published posthumously. It focuses on different themes and has less of a linear narrative, all of which served only to confuse me as I listened. It doesn't help that many of Faust's trials in the second part involve mythical places and allusions that aren't easily described through dialogue alone. The play does its best with sound effects that make the listening experience more enjoyable, and the actors were brilliant. But I think I would have enjoyed it more if it were only the first part.
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kyle
- 04-12-11
Mixed Feelings
Unless you're familiar with Faust, before listening to this, I would 1) go to the Naxos Audiobooks website and read about this particular production of Faust.
Part 1 has a clear narrative and the performance sparkles.
Part 2, through no fault of the performers, is difficult to follow if you don't already know the story. I kept thinking I had missed something and kept rewinding. Eventually, I read the study guide posted above so I would have a clue what is going on with the story. The narrative of Part 2 is simply nowhere near as compelling as Part 1.
The performers do a wonderful job. It is simply difficult for someone unfamiliar with Part 2 of Faust to follow along without some outside help.
41 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jeff Lacy
- 21-06-17
Incredible performance that achieves a great appreciation
This is what Audible can do to enrich one's appreciation of a great work of literature. Even though this is abridged, it is a collaborated, enacted Audible performance by BBC actors who put mere narrators of this work to shame. It is a delight to hear this work performed in this quality. This was my first exposure to Faust, but used my usual strategy of listening while reading simultaneously. It was tricky since the performance was abridged, but I was able to keep up. Now I can return and read the entire work whole with a better sense of how to approach the reading of this wonderful work.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bryan
- 21-08-12
Prepare to be enthralled
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely.
A lot of my friends are into classic literature and—while this is technically a play—listening to it on audio makes it accessible to experience anytime.
The story is amazing. If you haven't read it and you like stories like Paradise Lost, The Divine Comedy, and Homer's epics, then this is for you.
The performance is absolutely stellar. The performers do a fantastic job of bringing it to life.
What did you like best about this story?
It's thought provoking, inspiring, insightful, and beautiful.
What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Life.
They really pulled the beauty out of this story.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Mmm, no. It was much more one of those stories that maintains a consistent amount of inspiration inside throughout.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jeff
- 19-01-12
Excellent performance of classic work!
What did you love best about Faust?
The wonderful reading, next would be the great sound effects that didn't sound corny at all.
Would you be willing to try another book from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Why or why not?
I don't know quite what to think of Faust. Part 1 was excellent and very thought provoking, but part two is confusing and almost makes the reader think he has switched to a book by a different author, or at least skipped the middle book in a trilogy.
Which scene was your favorite?
The satanic poodle.... :)
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jeff T. Miller
- 13-11-18
what a matchless performance.
I had purchased this book with the hope of getting a recording of a famous piece of literature. I was greeted with better than that. this is fabulous Radio Theater. it contains music, sound effects, multiple voices, choirs. do yourself a favor and purchase this recording. You won't be sorry.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sher from Provo
- 16-07-13
A Great Classic
I'm giving it five stars with reservations, those being that I do not totally understand it yet. I am working on it though. It is a great morality play and a bit of a cautionary tail, and I like that a lot. But there is also a ton of symbolism in it, which I also like, but which I do not fully understand. With the aid of critical analyses, I am learning, though, and will probably reread and re-listen to the story when I get most of that into my head.
The story of Faust is one of a tired and disillusioned old man who, in his deepest darkest thoughts, feels like his life has been such a failure that, when he gets the chance, he sells his soul to the devil in exchange for youth, success, fortune and romance. There is always a dear price tag attached, however, as Faust learns to his horrific consternation.
Sad that we English speakers have to read a translation, but even with that, it is obviously expertly written. I guess foreign speakers feel the same way about Shakespeare, and I hope for their sakes that they have quality translations. Being unable to be anything but ignorant on the subject, I feel that this translation is superior. The beauty of the poetry is breathtaking, and can't help but be favorably compared to Shakespeare. The subject matter is earthy and less than beautiful, yet so relevant, mainly because it is human beings that read this story, and we human types are less than perfect, and often less than beautiful. Our base desires are often selfish, try as we might to rationalize them with "good" motives.
All in all, this is a story I am not finished with yet, and it will probably never be finished with me. At least, not on this earth.
The narrators in this drama are top notch. It was a joy to listen to from that angle.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Clayton Bosler
- 03-09-12
Beautiful performance!
What made the experience of listening to Faust the most enjoyable?
The beautiful performance!
Any additional comments?
This is the way to really enjoy Faust! Beautifully performed, with a full tapestry of voices and sounds. Well done!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- David O'Shaughnessy
- 04-03-18
An absolutely amazing production of a difficult classic!
The troupe and production are absolutely amazing, and bring a difficult 500 year old work to life in the listener’s mind today! Bravo!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Gretchen Underwood
- 11-08-12
I wish I would have read it instead.
Any additional comments?
I really wanted to enjoy this performance, and my rating has nothing to do with the narrator's skill. I really believe that there are some books that are best read "the old fashioned way," and this is one of them.
5 people found this helpful
