Boito's Mefistofele

In a cosmic prologue, Mefistofele wagers with God that he can corrupt the soul of the scholar Faust. Taking human form, the devil leads Faust through earthly temptations, seducing the innocent Margherita, who goes mad and dies in prison, and then transports him to a classical Walpurgis Night where Faust encounters Helen of Troy. In the end, Faust finds redemption not through pleasure but through a vision of human progress. Boito's sprawling philosophical opera spans heaven, earth, and the ancient world.