Opera

Jules Massenet: WERTHER

J.W. Goethe's novel The Sorrows of Young Werther, about a noble and passionate young man tormented by the torture of unrequited love, who ultimately chooses to end his own life, struck Germany at the end of the 18th century like a minor earthquake. It became a “cult” book among the youth of the time and profoundly influenced their emotional outlook on life.

Jules Massenet's music powerfully expressed the ecstasy of romantic intoxication and the hopeless sorrow of unfulfilled desire. Massenet focuses on the character of Charlotte, a charming and wise young woman who renounces her love for Werther out of loyalty to her husband. She only dares to express her true feelings when it is already too late.