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Conformity and the norm of convention will be an impossible prison to overcome, and it will define their destiny in confronting personal tragedy and death as the only way out.
"If you knew in how many ways I broke. I'm fine, you see me fine, but there are parts of me that will always be irreparably broken."
Mario Benedetti, writer
In 1774, The Sorrows of Young Werther was published, a novel with autobiographical traits by the then-unknown German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, at the age of 25. It quickly became a milestone in universal literature. It is a work that belongs to the Romantic period and is one of the best examples of the Sturm und Drang movement. An epistolary work that tells the story of Werther, a passionate young man who writes letters to his friend Wilhelm about his obsessive love for Charlotte, who rejects him to marry another man because she promised her dying mother to do so.
The success of the novel, paradoxically, turned into a significant social problem, as in January 1775, a wave of love suicides inspired by the romantic hero began. These cases continued for several years and became a phenomenon that was later extensively studied and spread throughout Europe. Passionate about the intensity of the plot, Massenet began setting it to music in 1885.
Premiered in German at the Wiener Staatsoper in February 1892, the work had a moderate success. It wasn't until the performances in Geneva and Paris in its French version that it became established as one of the composer’s best works.
The role of Werther, due to its vocal difficulty, is often referred to as the "French Tristan"; and for Charlotte, it includes some of the most intense and dramatic pages in the entire repertoire. Xabier Anduaga (in his debut role) and Matthew Polenzani will alternate with the Charlottes of Kristina Stanek and Elmina Hasan. These prodigious voices will immerse us in this score, which is nothing more than an intimate confession of contained feelings, inner expressions through a poignant and delicate melodic line and an elegant orchestral backdrop.
This new production, coming from La Scala in Milan and directed by Christof Loy, is centered on the interpersonal mechanisms and psychological aspects of the characters. With an intimate focus on the protagonists, it places them in an elegant and essential set design set in the 1950s, with a large horizontal wall that dominates the stage, enclosing the central characters’ actions and suffocating them in their deepest emotions. This wall divides the world of domestic intimacy, affection, and feelings (the family’s, to which Werther will never be able to enter) from the outside world. The starkness of the space adds an additional symbolic weight to the elements.
Conformity and the norm of convention will be an unbreakable prison, shaping their destiny and confronting them with personal tragedy and death as the only way out. Charlotte will arrive too late. Werther is already dying as she desperately declares her love for him. Outside, children sing of the birth of Jesus. An impressive contrast that will send shivers down your spine.
Lyric drama in four acts and five scenes.
Libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet, and Georges Hartmann based on the work Die Leiden des jungen Werthers by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
World premiere: 16/02/1892 at the Wiener Staatsoper
Premiere in Barcelona: 29/04/1899 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu (in Italian)
Last performance at the Liceu: 02/02/2017
Total performances at the Liceu: 64
With the support of:
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Dates and tickets
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Are you between 18 and 35 years old?
Join the LiceUnder35 Community and come see Werther for only €20.
- Act one 40 min
- Act two 31 min
- Pause 30 min
- Act three 37 min
- Act four 20 min
Artistic profile
Artistic profile
- Stage direction
- Christof Loy
- Revival
- Silvia Aurea De Stefano
- Scenography
- Johannes Leiacker
- Costumes
- Robby Duiveman
- Lighting
- Roland Edrich
- Assistant stage direction
- Anna Llopart
- Costume assistant
- Anna Ribera
- Lighting assistant
- Andrea Giretti
- Production
- Co-production Teatro alla Scala and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
- Assistant Conductor
- Romain Dumas
- Musical Assistant Coaches
- Véronique Werklé, Rodrigo de Vera, David-Huy Nguyen-Phong and Jaume Tribó
- Organ / timbre keyboard
- Vanessa García Diepa
- Cor Vivaldi - Little Singers of Catalonia
- Pilar Paredes, conductor
- Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Conductor Henrik Nánási
Cast
Cast change
- The bass-baritone Carlos Chausson will not be able to sing the role of “The Bailiff” in the production of Werther due to a medical procedure. The role will be assumed by Stefano Palatchi.
Get ready for 'Werther'
Special sessions
Breathing the Opera
Breathing Opera is a 30-minute guided session led by coach Mònica Arús, featuring the soundscape by music therapist Núria Andorrà. We will practice simple breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness exercises to enter a state of calm and openness that helps us enjoy the performance with presence and awareness.
Friday, May 8
6:30 PM
Buy the full experience here: mindfulness session + opera performance.
Audiodescription
Live audio description service during one performance of each staged opera, providing narration of key visual elements for the benefit of blind and visually impaired audience members. The service consists of two parts: an audio introduction fifteen minutes before the performance starts, and simultaneous audio description during the show.
LifeVoice App
To listen to the audio description, simply click on Audiodescription at the Liceu, or enter the LiveVoice app and enter the code: 075177.
Sunday, May 17
6:00 PM