One of opera’s greatest depictions of impossible love, Werther is based on Goethe’s epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. Massenet thought long and hard about adapting Goethe’s story of a melancholy poet whose love for a married woman and general disaffection with the world lead to his suicide. Initially declined Opéra Comique, Werther had its premiere in Vienna in 1892. The portrayal of an artistic, brilliant and doomed young man rebelling against the establishment has resonated through the ages in music, literature, theatre and film. Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb’s new production is in safe and cinematic hands: Pier Giorgio Morandi, chief conductor Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, and the stage director, set and costume designer is Dante Ferretti. With Oscars to his credit, Ferretti has worked with some of the greatest names in cinema including Pasolini, Fellini, Zeffirelli, Scorsese to name just a few. Streamed for our Slippedisc readers courtesy of OperaVision.
Sung in French. Subtitles in English, French and Croatian.
The Plot: Charlotte only married Albert out of duty but continues to love Werther without admitting it to herself and even less to him. The young man despairs at seeing his advances rejected and will not taste the love that the young woman comes to confess too late.
Streamed on Saturday 3rd May 2025 at 1900 CET / 1800 London / 1300 New York
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