Werther 

It will come as no surprise that the path of true love does not always run smooth in opera. When Goethe published The Sorrows of the Young Werther, the story of Charlotte and her suitor was so popular that it triggered a wave of what became known as “Werther fever”, leading young men to imitate the romantic hero and commit suicide. Over a century later, when French romanticism was in full swing, Massenet drew inspiration from this story of doomed love to create his major work. While exploiting all the potential of a large symphony orchestra, he creates an intimate and emotionally incisive atmosphere which is perhaps best illustrated by the wonderful aria “Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle du printemps…”, Massenet’s most heartstring-tugging operatic “hit”. Benjamin Bernheim and Marina Viotti will play the unfortunate lovers at this performance, surrounded by a cast of French singers familiar to avenue Montaigne audiences (Jean-Sébastien Bou, Marc Scoffoni, Rodolphe Briand) who will be joined by Sandra Hamaoui and Yuri Kissin.

Coproduction Théâtre des Champs-Elysées | Teatro alla Scala