'Life and death on the stage': What makes Werther a masterpiece (The Royal Opera)

Joyce DiDonato, Vittorio Grigòlo, Antonio Pappano and other members of the cast and creative team reveal why they think Massenet's Werther is an operatic masterpiece. Find out more at www.roh.org.uk/...
Jules Massenet began thinking about making an opera from Goethe’s Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1774; The Sorrows of Young Werther) as early as 1880, before he started work on Manon - though in his memoirs he claimed inspiration came in 1886 during a visit to Bayreuth to see Wagner’s Parsifal. He began the score in 1885 and finished it in 1887, but Werther’s premiere did not come until 1892, when the Vienna Hofoper requested another Massenet work after the success of the local premiere of Manon. It has been a permanent part of the international repertory since 1903. Werther and Manon have proved Massenet’s most enduringly popular works.
The excellent libretto, prepared by Edouard Blau and Paul Milliet, distills Goethe’s Romantic masterpiece - their shortened version intensifies Goethe’s depiction of two passionate people each intent on hurting the other. Its spareness affords Massenet the opportunity to make his music not only delve into the psyches of the central couple but also describe the damage they cause to Sophie and Albert. The score displays Massenet’s gift for melody, with the ‘Clair de lune’, ‘Lied d’Ossian’ and Charlotte’s ‘Prière’ now some of his most loved music. Director Benoît Jacquot’s 2004 production for The Royal Opera, with elegant set designs by Charles Edwards, makes manifest the opera’s theme of keeping up appearances while torrid passions rage beneath.

[@ombresetlumieres3137]

Vittorio Grigolo ne me fait pas oublier le Werther de Jonas Kaufmann... Kaufmann a apporté à Werther, sa voix unique, son physique romantique et une incarnation qui laisse entrevoir, dès son entrée en scène la fragilité et le caractère tourmenté du personnage...Après Kaufmann, je n'ai plus écouté cet opéra comme je le faisais avant, et cet opéra est devenu l'un de mes préférés... Ceci dit, Vittorio Grigolo est loin d’être un Werther insignifiant, et sa jolie voix se prête très bien aux envolées lyriques de la musique de Massenet...Il a aussi comme partenaire la formidable Joyce Di Donato , une bouleversante Charlotte...J'ai le DVD du Werther de Jonas Kaufmann avec Sophie Koch...Néanmoins, si l'une des représentations avec Grigolo et Di Donato sortait en DVD ou Blu-ray, je l’achèterais bien volontiers...

[@joannev..schrift5965]

Ombres et Lumières

[@joga1943]

For me Jonas Kaufmann was and is still „the“ Werther and I think Nobody can make it better in the moment!

[@talitasofijakomelj9730]

Very interesting!

[@Samuel6969ify]

Difficile superare l'ultimo Werther di Parigi con Kafmann che ha dato la più bella interpretazione di Werther di sempre!

[@manricaajo8551]

Come Jonas Kaufmann non c'è nessuno