Werther

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