Opera on 3: 4.06.11, 6.00 p.m. - Massenet's "Werther"

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The passionate young poet Werther meets Sophie, and falls instantly in love with her. Sophie falls for him too, but had promised her dying mother she'd marry Albert, and can't break her vow. Werther won't accept this, leading to tragic consequences for everybody. Massenet's Goethe-based opera is performed at the Royal Opera House with star tenor Rolando Villazon and Sophie Koch as the doomed lovers. Antonio Pappano conducts, and talks to Andrew McGregor about his view of the opera.

Presented by Andrew McGregor

Werther ..... Rolando Villazon (tenor)
Charlotte ..... Sophie Koch (mezzo-soprano)
Albert ..... Audun Iversen (baritone)
Sophie ..... Eri Nakamura (soprano)
Magistrate ..... Alain Vernhes (bass)
Johann ..... Darren Jeffrey (baritone)
Schmidt ..... Stuart Patterson (tenor)

Conductor ..... Antonio Pappano
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

[Mandryka]

Saw this last weekend....not as impressed with Villaizon as I have been in the past and I found his somewhat generalised 'flapping his arms about' acting to be a bit of a distraction. Not that that will come across on radio, of course.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

You've done it now, Mandryka! I shan't be able to listen to this on Saturday without imagining "Werther" flapping his arms about.

[vinteuil]

... in the end I think Thackeray's poem on the subject about sums up my reaction to Goethe's Werther (but I don't yet know the Massenet... ) -

"Werther had a love for Charlotte
Such as words could never utter;
Would you know how first he met her?
She was cutting bread and butter.

Charlotte was a married lady,
And a moral man was Werther,
And, for all the wealth of Indies,
Would do nothing for to hurt her.

So he sighed and pined and ogled,
And his passion boiled and bubbled,
Till he blew his silly brains out,
And no more was by it troubled.

Charlotte, having seen his body
Borne before her on a shutter,
Like a well-conducted person,
Went on cutting bread and butter."

[rubbernecker]

Saw this last weekend....not as impressed with Villaizon as I have been in the past and I found his somewhat generalised 'flapping his arms about' acting to be a bit of a distraction. Not that that will come across on radio, of course.

You are far too tolerant, M. I'm afraid this production was one of those rare occasions where Mrs R and I were so disappointed and so bored that we left half way through, after the second act. It wasn't just the fact that Villazon was refusing to sing out, it was the unimaginitive and staid direction, Massenet's extremely average music, and the impression that as an account of the travails of Goethe's hero, the whole libretto (I think it was a committee job) is dramatically flawed. He has already decided he cannot have Charlotte and to do away with himself early on in the opera. All that we were left with was an attractively lit set.

No doubt on radio the impact will be entirely different, and I suspect the broadcast will provide suitable aural wallpaper for those who wish to get on with doing something useful with their lives...

[gurnemanz]

I am reminded of a fortuitous musical event: My wife and I happened to be walking along St Martin's Lane in 1977 and noticed that Werther with Janet Baker was about to start. There were seats left and in we went. It was a great evening and I note that the performance has been released on CD.

[Mandryka]

You are far too tolerant, M. I'm afraid this production was one of those rare occasions where Mrs R and I were so disappointed and so bored that we left half way through, after the second act. It wasn't just the fact that Villazon was refusing to sing out, it was the unimaginitive and staid direction, Massenet's extremely average music, and the impression that as an account of the travails of Goethe's hero, the whole libretto (I think it was a committee job) is dramatically flawed. He has already decided he cannot have Charlotte and to do away with himself early on in the opera. All that we were left with was an attractively lit set.

No doubt on radio the impact will be entirely different, and I suspect the broadcast will provide suitable aural wallpaper for those who wish to get on with doing something useful with their lives...

Totally agree with all of this: there is a fatal lack of dramatic tension, since the 'decision' has been made at the end fo the first scene.

I find Massenet an 'inoffensive' composer: his music quite 'nice' and his operas survive, probably because of the opportunities they offer to 'name' singers. But I can't help thinking Galsworthy was on to something when he made Massenet the one 'modern' composer whom Old Jolyn could tolerate in The Forsyte Saga.

Generally speaking, the French don't have a good record of setting German works, do they? I mean, look what Gounod did to Faust....

[LHC]

I must say I enjoyed the performance enormously and thought that both Villazon and Sophie Koch were very good indeed. But then I like the opera and I get the feeling that some of the other criticisms above are more concerned with the opera itself than this particular run of performances.

For a more sympathetic view there is a review here with which I totally agree (I hasten to add that I am not responsible for the review):

http://opera-britannia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=493:werther-the-royal-opera-5th-september-2011&catid=8&Itemid=16

[rubbernecker]

Totally agree with all of this

Well, all I can say is, you're the only person, apart from my wife, who does! Everyone else I have spoken to simply adored it, dahling

LHC - that review certainly was more sympathetic but not exactly fulsome, was it?

A pity R3 listeners won't be able to see the set, but at least the microphones should be able to pick up Villazon

[Frances_iom]

...I'm afraid this production was one of those rare occasions where Mrs R and I were so disappointed and so bored that we left half way through, after the second act. ..

My friend and I also left early from this production(we were there 11 May) - as you say a well lit and attractive set but little to keep one's interest in the singing and production especially given the projected 10.40pm ending.

[rubbernecker]

the projected 10.40pm ending.

Yes, I think that was a decisive factor, and coupled with the prospect of sitting through Acts 3 and 4 continuously it was the kiss of death

(I was also there 11 May)

Wow, that's two people who now agree with me. The backlash begins...

[LHC]

LHC - that review certainly was more sympathetic but not exactly fulsome, was it?

How fulsome do you want? "... by some margin the best account of Massenet’s Werther I ever remember attending ... I can hand on heart say I have never enjoyed any performance of the opera more than this one ... I would rate [Villazon's] reception at the end as little short of rapturous: and entirely merited ... [Sophie Koch] ideally suited to Charlotte’s desperate plight, powerfully put across, affectingly dramatised ... If you liked Pappano’s treatment of Manon last year – which I did, greatly – you’ll love this, which is even more so, if you see what I mean..." all sounds pretty fulsome to me.

Admittedly this was tempered by a realistic assessment of the current state of Villazon's voice, but I think this shows that the review was not written by an intemperate fan, but was a sensible and honest reflection on the performance given and seen.

If you have seen some of this reviewer's other pieces, you'll know he doesn't hold back on identifying the failings of a particular performance (for example, his view of the Covent Garden Aida: "I was mighty shocked at its unrelieved dreadfulness, offering virtually no redeeming feature either vocally, scenically, dramatically or musically.")

Anyway, 'twould be a dull world indeed if we all liked the same things.

[rubbernecker]

... by some margin the best account of Massenet’s Werther I ever remember attending ... I can hand on heart say I have never enjoyed any performance of the opera more than this one ...

= all the other productions were so dire this one couldn't fail to stand out

I would rate [Villazon's] reception at the end as little short of rapturous

= the Villazon groupies were clearly out in force

If you liked Pappano’s treatment of Manon last year – which I did, greatly – you’ll love this

= if you are a fan of Pappano and Massenet you will be as readily convinced by this

[Nick Armstrong]

= all the other productions were so dire this one couldn't fail to stand out

Game...

= the Villazon groupies were clearly out in force

Set...

= if you are a fan of Pappano and Massenet you will be as readily convinced by this

and Match!!

[rubbernecker]

Stop it, Caliban. I was only giving a very selective and cynical 'reading between the lines' of what was, as LHC correctly said, a positive review.

The fault really lies with the opera - mostly the libretto. Sadly it has put me off shelling out to see Massenet ever again.

EDIT
Correction: for 'sadly', read 'happily'