Opera

Massenet's Werther

Andrei Serban (stage director), Bertrand de Billy (conductor) — With Piotr Bezcała (Werther), Clemens Unterreiner (Albert), Gaëlle Arquez (Charlotte)...

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Cast

Andrei Serban — Stage director

Peter Pabst — Costume designer, scenography

Petra Reinhardt — Assistant costume designer

Piotr Beczała — Werther

Clemens Unterreiner — Albert

Gaëlle Arquez — Charlotte

Daniela Fally — Sophie

Hans Peter Kammerer — Le Bailli

Andrea Giovannini — Schmidt

Michael Rakotoarivony — Johann

Wiener Staatsoper Stage Orchestra

Bertrand de Billy — Conductor

Program notes

While most opera houses across Europe have to remain closed for the public for weeks to come, we are thrilled to present you a fully-staged production of a Romantic masterpiece, Massenet's dramatic Werther at the legendary Wiener Staatsoper!

The poet Werther is consumed by his passion for young Charlotte, daughter of the local magistrate—but she is engaged to his friend Albert. After several months on the road, Albert’s unexpected return will seal the tragic destiny of the troubled title character… Inspired by Goethe’s epistolary novel titled The Sorrow of Young Werther, Massenet’s operatic masterpiece returns to Vienna, the city that saw its premiere in 1892. The fabulous Bertrand de Billy leads the storied Wiener Staatsoper in a memorable performance, with Piotr Beczała—a tenor with "the kind of voice you want to hang medals on" (Opera News)—in the lead role.

Photo © Michael Poehn, Wiener Staatsoper

A closer look: composers and works

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Available until

Sunday, March 10, 2024