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Opera

Werther

By Jules Massenet

Et rum beklædt med lyse træpaneler, hvor åbninger i væggene afslører en stjernehimmel og planeter. To personer sidder i en vinduesniche til venstre, og to personer omfavner hinanden ved en døråbning til højre. På væggen hænger et ur.

Goethe’s tale of unrequited love arrives in Copenhagen in its French operatic guise. Experience the torments of young Werther in The Old Stage.

When Goethe published Die Leiden des jungen Werthers in the latter half of the 18th century, an entire generation discovered a new image of manhood – one that embraced vulnerability, powerlessness and the anguish of love. Men were no longer merely soldiers or statesmen; they were permitted to dream, to write poetry, to reveal weakness – and to suffer for love.

It is precisely this vulnerability and unfulfilled longing that the French composer Jules Massenet transforms into music in his operatic adaptation of Goethe’s immortal novel. With luminous sensitivity, Massenet lends Werther’s love for the already-promised Charlotte a fragile shimmer of hope. His melodies become both light and lifeline, even as the young poet is drawn inexorably towards despair and the painful realisation that even the deepest love may remain unreturned.

“The most beautiful, honest and heartrending experience to grace this stage in recent years,” wrote the press following the production’s premiere at Opernhaus Zürich. The staging is by one of Europe’s most sought-after opera directors, Tatjana Gürbaca, who has created a psychologically charged and visually arresting production in which the confined space mirrors both Werther’s inner turmoil and the inescapable conditions of love.

The Royal Danish Theatre’s French Principal Conductor, Marie Jacquot, leads the Royal Danish Orchestra in her first interpretation of Massenet’s deeply affecting score. Tenor Jacob Skov Andersen adds yet another great role to his repertoire in the title role of Werther, while his beloved Charlotte is sung by Royal Danish Opera mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Jansson.

Werther is performed in French with Danish and English surtitles.

In collaboration with Opernhaus Zürich.

Photo: Opéra national du Rhin © KLARA BECK/ONR

Recommended from 10 years old

Werther
date -
location Old Stage
Price 145 - 875 DKK
To personer sidder tæt sammen på en bænk til venstre i et rum med lyse træpaneler på vægge og loft. To andre personer står tæt sammen i en døråbning til højre. I baggrunden ses åbne døre og vinduer med udsigt til en mørk himmel med stjerner og blå planetlignende motiver. På højre væg hænger et ur.
Flere personer i et rum med lyse trævægge og åbne lemmer eller døre, hvor baggrunden viser en mørk nattehimmel med funklende stjerner i blålige nuancer. Til venstre sidder to personer tæt sammen på en bænk. I midten sidder en person på gulvet, og til højre ligger en person ned på gulvet under køligt lys.
To personer i et køligt oplyst rum med lyse trævægge. Den ene person i hvid skjorte og mørke bukser står på knæ og læner sig hen over den anden person, der er iført lyst tøj og støttes i armene med et udtryksfuldt ansigt.
En gruppe personer opholder sig i et rum med lyse træpaneler på vægge og lofter under et køligt blåt lys. Til venstre står flere personer, hvoraf en holder enbundt lilla balloner. Til højre står to personer ved et bord mod en væg med et ur.
Flere personer opholder sig i et stort værelse beklædt med træpaneler på vægge og lofter. Til venstre står en person i mørk jakke og ser mod en gruppe på fem personer, der går i kolonne, hvoraf den forreste skubber en person i kørestol. Til højre står en stående person i ternet vest ved siden af en væg med et ur, mens en person i lyserød kjole står ved et udslået skab og rækker ud efter en skål.
Flere personer i et rum med lyse træpaneler på væggene. Til venstre sidder en person i kørestol og holder en figur. I midten sidder en person på en stol foran en åben døråbning, hvor en anden person sidder ved et instrument. Til højre står en person på knæ bag en siddende person, mens en anden person i jakkesæt sidder på en stol længst til højre.
Flere personer i et rum med vægge og paneler i lyst træ. Til venstre sidder en person i kørestol med en bog, og en anden person står på knæ foran. I midten er et åbent skab med hylder, og til højre sidder en person ved et bord under et ur på væggen.

Creative team

Komponist

  • Jules Massenet

Librettist

Dirigent

Iscenesættelse

  • Tatjana Gürbaca

Scenografi

  • Klaus Grünberg

Kostumedesign

  • Silke Willrett

Lysdesign

  • Klaus Grünberg

Cast

Marie Jacquot

Dirigent

Marie Jacquot
Elisabeth Jansson

Charlotte

Elisabeth Jansson
Ava Line Shokooh

Sophie

Ava Line Shokooh
Jacob Skov Andersen
Theodore Platt
Kyungil Ko

Amtmanden

Kyungil Ko
Jens Christian Tvilum
Simon Duus

Johann

Simon Duus
Albin Jansson

Brühlmann

Albin Jansson
Line Hugger Viderup

Käthchen

Line Hugger Viderup

Cast

Forestillingsdatoer

Learn more about the performance

  • Werther

    Synopsis

    Act 1 

    At the Bailiff’s house, Christmas carols are being rehearsed in the middle of summer. The widowed Bailiff practices with his children, as his eldest daughter, Charlotte, who has managed the household since her mother’s death, is preparing for a village ball, which she will attend with the young Werther. Two family friends, Johann and Schmidt, stop by, amused by the unusual singing lesson, and try to persuade the Bailiff to join them at the inn. 

    Werther arrives to escort Charlotte to the ball. He is enchanted by her and by the warm family life she represents. Before leaving, Charlotte serves supper to the children and asks her younger sister Sophie to look after them during her absence. Charlotte and Werther then depart for the ball. 

    Meanwhile, Charlotte’s fiancé, Albert, returns home after a lengthy business trip and finds only Sophie at home. Delighted by his love for Charlotte, he eagerly anticipates seeing her again. He decides to surprise her the following day with his unexpected return. 

    Late that night, bathed in moonlight, Charlotte and Werther return from the ball. Overcome with emotion, Werther passionately declares his love for her. Charlotte recalls her mother’s death and the promise she made at her bedside: to care for the family and her younger siblings as a mother would. 

    Their intimate conversation is abruptly interrupted when the Bailiff calls out from afar that Albert has returned. Werther is devastated to learn that the woman he loves is promised to another man. 

    Act 2

    It is Sunday, and a golden wedding anniversary is being celebrated. Johann and Schmidt comment cheerfully on the festivities. Charlotte and Albert, now married, are among the guests. Werther arrives, sees Charlotte with Albert, and dreams of what life might have been if he had been allowed to share it with her. 

    Albert perceives Werther’s feelings and attempts to comfort him, gently directing his attention toward Sophie. She too tries to lift his spirits and awaken his interest. 

    Werther, however, is wholly consumed by his hopeless love. Determined to renounce Charlotte, he resolves to leave. Yet when they meet alone once more, his emotions overwhelm him again. He speaks nostalgically of the happiness they shared on the evening of the ball. 

    Charlotte remains reserved and firmly rejects him. She tells him that he must leave, for she now belongs to her husband, Albert. Still, she suggests that perhaps they might meet again at Christmas. Left alone, Werther is haunted by thoughts of suicide. 

    Sophie returns to invite him back to the celebration, but he despairingly declares that he is leaving forever. 

    Act 3

    On Christmas Day, Charlotte is alone. Her feelings for Werther are far stronger than she is willing to admit. Unable to overcome her longing, she repeatedly reads the passionate letters he has written to her. Their references to suicide fill her with dread. 

    Sophie visits and notices her sister’s deep sadness. She persuades Charlotte to promise that she will spend Christmas Eve at their childhood home. 

    Once Charlotte is alone again and her anguish grows, Werther suddenly appears. Unable to resist returning on the day she had mentioned during their last meeting, he has come back to see her. 

    Together they reminisce about happier times. Charlotte shows him The Songs of Ossian, which they once read together. Deeply moved, Werther reads passages aloud. Charlotte is so affected that he becomes convinced she loves him as he loves her. They fall into each other’s arms. 

    But Charlotte quickly regains her composure and tells him that they must never see one another again. Werther finally resolves to end his life. 

    Albert, meanwhile, has learned of Werther’s secret visit and confronts Charlotte when a messenger arrives with a letter from Werther. In it, Werther claims that he is leaving on a long journey and asks Albert to lend him a pistol. Albert orders Charlotte to hand the weapon over to the messenger. 

    Act 4

    Werther has shot himself with Albert’s pistol. Charlotte finds him mortally wounded. Tormented by guilt, she confesses that she loves him as deeply as he loves her. At last, she gives him the kiss he has always longed for. 

    As he lies dying, Werther is filled with happiness. He says that his life is not ending at this moment, but only now truly beginning. 

    In the distance, the children’s Christmas carol can be heard. Werther dies.

Listen to the music