Ruxandra Donose Photo: Courtesy of BMF

Monday night was a rare opportunity for music lovers in China's capital, as the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra performed French composer Hector Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust at the Poly Theater as part of the ongoing Beijing Music Festival (BMF). 

One of the various adaptations of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's masterpiece Faust, the version by Berlioz has been beloved by audiences since it first made its debut back in 1846. 

According to Zou Shuang, BMF's artistic director, Monday night's version conducted by renowned conductor Charles Dutoit was not to be missed. 

The performance starred John Reylea as Mefistofeles, Paul Groves as Faust, Ruxandra Donose as Marguerite and Yasuhiro Sato as Brander, with the choral parts of the piece undertaken by The Philharmonic Chorus of Tokyo.