Baltimore Concert Opera presents: Massenet’s Werther The Gist of the Story: About the composer: Setting: Germany in the early 1780s Jules Massenet It is July and Werther, a melancholy young man, Massenet was one of the most WHO? falls in love with Charlotte although he knows she popular French opera composers is promised to another man, Albert. Though they th Composer: for over 20 years in the late 19 share a kinship, she turns him away and dutifully and early 20th centuries. He was quite prolific, but Jules Massenet marries her betrothed. Several months later, today his most well-known operatic works are (1842– 1912) Werther returns to the town to see her and is torn Manon and Werther. Like many prominent French apart by the fact that she cannot requite his love. composers of the period, Massenet both attended She sends him away for his own good, but Librettists: Édouard Blau, and later became a professor at the Paris promises he can return for a visit. Christmas Eve, Conservatoire. He won the most prestigious Paul Milliet and Georges he returns and they share a tender moment, but musical prize in France, the Prix de Rome in 1863. Hartmann (who used the the torment is too much for Werther. Saying he is He taught composition at the Conservatoire from pseudonym Henri Grémont). going on a journey, he requests to borrow 1878 until 1896, when he resigned after the death Albert’s pistols. In anguish, Charlotte sends them, of the director, Ambroise Thomas. Among his It is loosely based on a novel but she then races to Werther’s apartment. She is students were Gustave Charpentier, Ernest by Johann Wolfgang von too late and finds him dying from his self-inflicted Chausson, Reynaldo Hahn. Goethe wounds. They profess their love in his last moments and he dies in her arms. Goethe and “Werther Fever” Goethe wrote the semi-autobiographical The WHAT? Say it: “Werther” = “Vair-tair” Sorrows of Young Werther when he was 24 and in One of the most beautiful, Confused about how to pronounce the title of this love with an actual young beauty named Charlotte. popular, and tragic examples opera? You are not alone! Remember, this is not The epitome of the Sturm und Drang literary the popular candy with the same spelling! Rather, movement, Goethe later tried to distance himself of French Romantic opera. this is the French pronunciation of a German from the work. The English Touring Opera notes, name! Both syllables rhyme with “bear” and the “The book also triggered off a Werther Fever WHEN? “w” is pronounced as a “v.” If you want to get among the young Romantics of Europe (and you really fancy, try using a French guttural “r” for both wouldn’t be far wrong to imagine squealing fan girls World premiere: (in German) syllables! and crazed fan-fiction writers at this point!). The February 16, 1892 young Romantics latched onto the work like French premiere: The Characters teenagers do with the Twilight Saga today: thousands of poems, stories, sequels, prequels WERTHER, a December 27, 1892 ALBERT, young poet and plays were written in admiration of the work, Parisian premiere: Charlotte’s and fans desperately requested Goethe to write husband January 16, 1893 another book in order to follow up the tale. Young CHARLOTTE, a men throughout Europe started dressing like beautiful and sweet THE BAILIFF, Werther from the cover of the book, in his iconic Charlotte and WHERE? young woman blue jacket and yellow trousers…Sadly this Sophie’s widowed devotion to the work also had terrible implications, First performance at father as the work caused a considerable increase in the The Imperial Theater Hofoper SOPHIE, Charlotte’s younger sister number of suicides – a development which became in Vienna; later in Geneva JOHANN & known as ‘The Werther Effect.’ Many young people SCHMIDT and then at the Opéra tried to follow in Werther’s footsteps, sometimes THE CHILDREN, friends of the successfully, by wading into rivers and attempting Comique in Paris. Bailiff, not fans The Bailiff’s other to drown themselves, with copies of Goethe’s novel of Werther children, whom dutiful tucked faithfully into their pockets.” Charlotte cares for after https://englishtouringopera.wordpress.com/2015/0 the death of their mother 9/21/werther-fever/ Baltimore Concert Opera 11 W. Mount Vernon Pl. Read more about Werther and Massenet Baltimore, MD, 21201 Finck, Henry (1910). Massenet and His Operas. New York and London: John Lane. Fuller, Nick (2016-08-22). "Jules Massenet: His Life and Works" (PDF). MusicWeb International. baltimoreconcertopera.com Huebner, Steven (2006). French Opera at the Fin de Siècle: Werther. Oxford Univ. Press .