Massenet Opera Werther

Classical Music / Operas  


Werther is an opera (drama lyrique) in four acts by French composer Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann (who used the pseudonym Henri Grémont). It is loosely based on the German novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Die Leiden des jungen Werther (English: The Sorrows of Young Werther), which was based both on fact and on Goethe's own early life. It was first performed in Vienna (in German), on February 16, 1892.

The photo is that of Ernest van Dyck, the first singer in the title role, ca. 1892. 

 

In the video below, Antonio Pappano introduces the music of Massenet's Werther (The Royal Opera)

 

Suggested Listening:  

 

'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. Accessed February 16, 2023.

 

Massenet: Werther - Pourquoi me réveiller (Jonas Kaufmann). Werther - Jonas Kaufmann. Charlotte - Sophie Koch. Conductor / vezényel: Michel Plasson.  Opéra Bastille 2010. Uploaded by 70Tamas. Accessed February 16, 2023. 

 

Image Credit: 

Ernest van Dyck. en.wikipedia.org / Public Domain

Video Credit:  

 

Antonio Pappano introduces the music of Werther (The Royal Opera). YouTube, uploaded by Royal Opera House. Accessed February 16, 2023.


Resource: 

Werther. En.wikipedia.org.


(c) February 2018. Updated February 16, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.