Review of Werther at the Minnesota Opera

Werther is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Edouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann based on the German epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.

Talent from all over the world have come together to make the production of Werther possible at the Minnesota Opera.

James Valenti, who plays the title character of Werther, has a voice as impressive and as lovely as the beauty in nature that he sings about.

The dialogue — sang in French — is witty and entertaining in its melodramatic operatic phrasing with subtitles that read, “This is the day Gretchen promised us those lovely Cray fish.”

The opera opens with Werther inside his apartment.  Newspapers tacked to the wall in disarray.  Werther is laying the floor, obviously in despair.

Act 1 opens with the widowed bailiff teaching his young children a Christmas Carol in July. They stand in a picturesque scene of a backyard with an industrial backdrop with a black metal bridge and staircase the runs the length of the stage.

Act 2 opens with a humorous scene of drinking and cheering “Bacchus forever!” as an ode to Dionysus,Wine making and of ritual madness and ecstasy. Werther seems to spend the entire opera in an ode to the god of madness, as he begs for her in a depression that teeters on the verge of suicide if he cannot covet the object of his affection, Charlotte.

The first half is slow; stick around until the second half, and you’ll be glad that you did. The second half has a powerful opening with Werther standing on the bridge (more about that later) in a bright spotlight. The set is pitch black set. Hints of snowfall glow along the perimeter of the lights. The bridge moves back and a mesh screen lifts. Dramatic orchestration builds. Now the real show begins.

The melodrama moves into the realm of ridiculous in Act 3 when Werther holds onto Charlotte’s ankles, begging for her love. They wrestle on the floor in some combination of desperation, lust and anger.

Werther’s props are a mix-match of effective and distracting. For example, a mesh screen is lifted twice throughout the opera, like a fog lifting, revealing a more clear view of the actors. This prop is the best in the show.

A pair of industrial metal staircases connects to a bridge that moves forward and back on the stage. The prop is distracting in that the characters frequently climb up the stairs and descend down the stairs. The staircases are tall and winding, thus it takes a considerable amount of time to travel from the middle of the bridge down to the middle of the center stage. The prop becomes an annoyance when the scene becomes more about characters traveling on the staircase than about the plot and emotion in the scene.

Tickets are still available for the Feb. 2, 4 and 5, 2012 shows. To order, call the Minnesota Opera Ticket Office at 612-333-6669 Mon.-Fri., 9am-6pm.

1/31/12

Opera! Werther

Its that time again!  Opera!  This time it was a Tragic Romance from the 1890s called Werther.

Werther is obsessed with the idea and ideal of love, and because of that ideal willingly gives up his wealth to love in poverty, and he kills himself for his love without regard for the afterlife, living in the moment.  This Opera came out of France, during the height of the movement, and it’s pretty clear.  “Leibe oder Tod”  (Love over death) is scrawled on the back of the final set, and Werther dies in Charlotte’s arms, with a spotlight both on them and the word “liebe” on the wall.

Its running through Feb 5th.  Go see it if you can–if you want, you can see it tonight (sorry for the short notice!) for $20*!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

WERTHER at Minnesota Opera

from http://operaandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/01/werther-at-minnesota-opera.html

Jules Massenet’s operas are not amongst the most performed in the repertoire, so it was a treat to go to St. Paul to catch Minnesota Opera’s upcoming production of WERTHER.

Goethe’s 1774 novel, although wildly popular in its day, is not much on the reading lists today, so in some ways the opera has outlived its source. As adapted in the opera, the plot is simple: Artist/writer loves girl, girl can’t marry artist; artist is despondent and shoots himself, eventually dies. All remaining are sad or hurt.

As a character Werther is a self absorbed and the bourgeois grownup in us makes us want to say to him “Grow up!” or “Get a life!” But everybody is fascinated by the youthful idealistic flameout–the Jim Morrisons, Kurt Cobains, or Christopher McCandlesses (the Into the Wild guy) who refuse to conform. There really is no other character like Werther in all of opera.

I am doing lots of tweaks on my own opera right now, so dramaturgy is on my mind. There are some “rules” that WERTHER breaks. A couple of them are: don’t take too long to die and don’t take too long to get to the good stuff. But those who are willing to wade through a bit of exposition are richly rewarded by the opera’s third act.

At that point, newly married Charlotte has realized that she loves Werther and not her husband, Albert. She frets about him in a beautiful aria (the “Letter” aria) and later sings one of the mezzo national anthems–”Va! Laissez coulez mes larmes” which has the extra treat of the most important saxophone solo in all opera. He also sings the unforgettable “Pourqoui me reveiller.” And by this time in the show, you care about the characters, particularly Charlotte who has been trapped by a promise she made to her dying mother to marry the rather drab Albert. The payoff is worth the wait–I think the third act of Werther is one of the best acts in opera–right up there with the second act of CARMEN, or the last act of RIGOLETTO. And if the act is done well, as it was Thursday evening, Werther’s very long death later is made more compelling.

Dale Johnson, the opera’s Artistic Director, has assembled a strong company, especially Werther (James Valenti), Charlotte (Roxana Constantinescu ), and her sister Sophie (Angela Mortellaro, one of their fine resident artists), who are are able to look their parts, act their parts, and sing their parts. That’s not an easy trifecta to pull off.

Also hard to pull off is Massenet’s music.  It is often so spare that it has almost Mozartean delicacy. Pit/stage coordination can be challenging because sometimes the only person on the beat is the singer on stage. Conductor Christoph Campestrini was particularly fearless in creating little sister Sophie’s youthful fun, and act one had a fine and phat bassoon solo.

Scenically, the nineteenth century drawing room of Charlotte’s house and her bucolic yard is contrasted with a large black bridge and a black and white backdrop of an industrial riverside. This show is not Emmeline, or Oliver, or any other about humanity in the grip of  the industrial revolution, so it seemed a tiny bit heavy handed, but the moving bridge certainly allowed for some quick scene changes and dramatic points of view.

Aisle Say Twin Cities

Good theatre. Smart reviews.

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Sophie Kerman

Roxana Constantinescu as Charlotte and James Valenti as Werther at the MN Opera. Photo by Michal Daniel.

by SOPHIE KERMAN
With its latest offering of Werther by Jules Massenet, we start to see the trajectory of theMinnesota Opera‘s 2011-12 season. Having started the year with the user-friendly Cosí Fan Tutte and continued with the innovative Silent Night, the Opera now presents a completely different kind of audience experience. Werther, based on the 1774 novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is a much more musically-oriented opera than either of its predecessors this season. Having learned how to watch opera with Cosí and how to understand operatic structures with Silent Night, Werther takes its place in the season as the opera that teaches us how to listen.

Werther (pronounced ver-TAIR) was such a hit in Goethe’s day that Massenet’s 1892 operatic adaptation could be likened to the movie version ofHarry Potter or Lord of the Rings. The original publication of the book inspired devoted readers to dress up as Werther, and a rash of copycat suicides led authorities to worry about “Werther Fever.” The story, so deeply resonant in the minds of 18th- and 19th-century European readers and viewers, tells of young love kept apart by duty and tradition. In a nutshell: Werther – a brooding young man who modern audiences would call “emo” – sees Charlotte at a ball and falls madly and instantly in love with her. Charlotte, however, has promised her dying mother that she would marry Albert. Unable to cope with his heartbreak – sorry for the spoiler – Werther shoots himself.

Because Werther‘s plot is very simple on a superficial level, it is the internal dramas of the characters which were (and still are) so compelling. In the opera, the music (conducted with great drama by Christoph Campestrini) acts as a soundtrack to the moods of each character. Although this is not a virtuoso opera – the vocal lines are more lyrical than showy – James Valenti and Roxana Constantinescu have electric chemistry in their portrayals of Werther and Charlotte, pouring so much conflicted emotion into their singing that the audience can almost follow the plot without reading the subtitles. And as Charlotte’s relentlessly optimistic sister, the charming Angela Mortellaro (who always seems to be accompanied by the orchestral equivalent of birds and butterflies) provides some much-needed relief from the angst.

Massenet’s music provides all the beauty and intrigue one might expect at the opera; however, the story’s emphasis on inner struggles makes for somewhat less visual interest. To add some appeal, designer Allen Moyer has placed the characters on a set that teeters on the edge of the industrial era – while indoor scenes depict a sense of old-world luxury, metal scaffolding frames the stage in a stark reminder of the modern age to come. These scenic elements, like the music, reflect the dramatic conflict between love and loyalty, although – also like the music – they can sometimes come across as heavy-handed. (“Liebe oder Tod” – “Love or Death,” scrawled on the wall of Werther’s study in Act IV – is the most blatant example.)

All in all, Werther is a musical opera, rather than a theatrical one. Those expecting intrigue and scheming will be disappointed, while those who favor long melodic lines and top-notch singing will find exactly what they’re looking for. For the more dramatically-minded viewers, I suggest considering what might have happened if Werther had, instead, been entitled Charlotte. (Act III, in particular, is essentially all about her and contained the most psychologically interesting moments of the entire opera.) Though not as easily accessible as some other operas, Werther is all about who and what you’re listening for, and it will reward those come ready to hear.

For production videos and interviews with the cast, visit the Minnesota Opera’s YouTube page.

Werther by Jules Massenet. Sung in French with English translations projected above the stage. Presented by the Minnesota Opera at the Ordway, 345 Washington St., St Paul, MN 55102. January 28-February 5, 2012. Tickets $20-200 on www.mnopera.org or by calling the ticket office at 612.333.6669.

Roxana Constantinescu as Charlotte and James Valenti as Werther at the MN Opera. Photo by Michal Daniel.

by SOPHIE KERMAN
With its latest offering of Werther by Jules Massenet, we start to see the trajectory of the Minnesota Opera‘s 2011-12 season. Having started the year with the user-friendly Cosí Fan Tutte and continued with the innovative Silent Night, the Opera now presents a completely different kind of audience experience. Werther, based on the 1774 novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is a much more musically-oriented opera than either of its predecessors this season. Having learned how to watch opera with Cosí and how to understand operatic structures with Silent Night, Werther takes its place in the season as the opera that teaches us how to listen.

Werther (pronounced ver-TAIR) was such a hit in Goethe’s day that Massenet’s 1892 operatic adaptation could be likened to the movie version of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. The original publication of the book inspired devoted readers to dress up as Werther, and a rash of copycat suicides led authorities to worry about “Werther Fever.” The story, so deeply resonant in the minds of 18th- and 19th-century European readers and viewers, tells of young love kept apart by duty and tradition. In a nutshell: Werther – a brooding young man who modern audiences would call “emo” – sees Charlotte at a ball and falls madly and instantly in love with her. Charlotte, however, has promised her dying mother that she would marry Albert. Unable to cope with his heartbreak – sorry for the spoiler – Werther shoots himself.

Because Werther‘s plot is very simple on a superficial level, it is the internal dramas of the characters which were (and still are) so compelling. In the opera, the music (conducted with great drama by Christoph Campestrini) acts as a soundtrack to the moods of each character. Although this is not a virtuoso opera – the vocal lines are more lyrical than showy – James Valenti and Roxana Constantinescu have electric chemistry in their portrayals of Werther and Charlotte, pouring so much conflicted emotion into their singing that the audience can almost follow the plot without reading the subtitles. And as Charlotte’s relentlessly optimistic sister, the charming Angela Mortellaro (who always seems to be accompanied by the orchestral equivalent of birds and butterflies) provides some much-needed relief from the angst.

Massenet’s music provides all the beauty and intrigue one might expect at the opera; however, the story’s emphasis on inner struggles makes for somewhat less visual interest. To add some appeal, designer Allen Moyer has placed the characters on a set that teeters on the edge of the industrial era – while indoor scenes depict a sense of old-world luxury, metal scaffolding frames the stage in a stark reminder of the modern age to come. These scenic elements, like the music, reflect the dramatic conflict between love and loyalty, although – also like the music – they can sometimes come across as heavy-handed. (“Liebe oder Tod” – “Love or Death,” scrawled on the wall of Werther’s study in Act IV – is the most blatant example.)

All in all, Werther is a musical opera, rather than a theatrical one. Those expecting intrigue and scheming will be disappointed, while those who favor long melodic lines and top-notch singing will find exactly what they’re looking for. For the more dramatically-minded viewers, I suggest considering what might have happened if Werther had, instead, been entitled Charlotte. (Act III, in particular, is essentially all about her and contained the most psychologically interesting moments of the entire opera.) Though not as easily accessible as some other operas, Werther is all about who and what you’re listening for, and it will reward those come ready to hear.

For production videos and interviews with the cast, visit the Minnesota Opera’s YouTube page.

Werther by Jules Massenet. Sung in French with English translations projected above the stage. Presented by the Minnesota Opera at the Ordway, 345 Washington St., St Paul, MN 55102. January 28-February 5, 2012. Tickets $20-200 on www.mnopera.org or by calling the ticket office at 612.333.6669.

Werther: – Review of Minnesota Opera production from the 2011/2012 season.

from http://www.drmarksays.com/?p=232

January 27th, 2012

At the kind invitation of the Minnesota opera I attended a full dress rehearsal at the Ordway in St. Paul prior to opening night 01/28/2011.

Now this is a rehearsal, so it is understandable that singers might save their voices a little.  Also there are a lot of potentially distracting activities, people at computer screens etc, that need to be taken into consideration.  However the performance was of a standard that I was absorbed and drawn into, and these distractions quickly tuned out.  There were no interruptions for problems and the opera played right through.

This is a French romantic opera, by Jules Massenet written in the late 19th century.  Jules Massenet was influenced by Richard Wagner, especially in matters of the unbroken musical line and the orchestra playing a key role in illuminating the story line.  However the musical idiom is unabashedly French on not German. I will return to this later.

For those not familiar with the opera here is a brief synopsis courtesy of the Metropolitan News: -

ACT I. Wetzlar, near Frankfurt, 1780s. Though it is July, the widowed Bailiff teaches his younger children a Christmas carol in the garden of their house. Their progress is watched with amusement by two neighbors, Schmidt and Johann. They ask for Charlotte, the eldest daughter, who is engaged to Albert. In his absence, the Bailiff tells them, she will be escorted to the local ball that night by a young visiting poet, Werther, whom they find uncongenial. As the friends go off to supper and the Bailiff goes into the house, Werther arrives. He rhapsodizes on the beauty of the evening and watches unseen as Charlotte cuts bread and butter for the children’s supper. When the party has left for the ball and the Bailiff has gone to join his friends at the tavern, Albert returns unexpectedly. Disappointed at not finding Charlotte, he promises her sister Sophie he will return in the morning. As the moon rises, Werther and Charlotte return. He has fallen in love with her, but his declaration is cut short when the Bailiff passes by, observing that Albert has returned. Despite his despair, Werther urges Charlotte not to break her promise to marry Albert.

ACT II. Three months later, Charlotte and Albert, now married, walk contentedly across the town square on their way to church, followed by Werther. Albert tries to comfort the youth, and Sophie also attempts to cheer him up, but when Charlotte comes out of the church, he speaks of their first meeting; disturbed, she tells him he must leave Wetzlar until Christmas. Werther contemplates suicide, and when Sophie interrupts him, he rushes away. As Charlotte consoles the tearful girl, Albert realizes that Werther must be in love with his wife.

ACT III. Alone at home on Christmas Eve, Charlotte rereads the dejected letters written to her by Werther. While she prays for strength, he suddenly appears. Charlotte tries to remain calm and asks him to read to her from his translation of Ossian. Werther chooses a passage where the poet foresees his own death, and when Charlotte begs him to stop, he realizes she returns his love. But she runs from his embrace with a final farewell, and Werther leaves, resolved to die. Albert enters, surprised to find Charlotte distraught, and when a message arrives from Werther asking to borrow Albert’s pistols, her reaction convinces him of her love for Werther. He makes her give the pistols to the servant herself, but when Albert has gone she hurries off, praying she may reach Werther in time.

ACT IV. Charlotte arrives at Werther’s quarters to find him mortally wounded. She declares her love, and he begs forgiveness. As he dies, the voices of the children outside are heard singing their Christmas carol.
– courtesy of Opera News

In essence this a classic opera of conflicted love and duty.

Werther the philosopher, writer,  translator and also with brooding depressive tendencies, combined with obsessional character traits.

The hinge is Charlotte, the eldest daughter of the Le Bailli, who has had to substitute for her dead mother to a large family of younger children, her brothers and sisters.  She has promised her mother she will marry Albert, possibly an industrialist, but I doubt there is evidence for this .  So in essence it is an arranged marriage.

Now before the wedding she is pursued by the obsessive love of Werther.  In her youth she is flattered but also conflicted.  Duty wins, she marries Albert, but Werther is still in the picture.  Albert is understanding but Charlotte banishes him for six odd months.  Again there is unresolved conflict of which Albert is at first sympathetic.

Charlotte’s younger sister Sophie, a very presentable catch herself,  and clearly has feelings for Werther.  However in his obsession for Charlotte, he is blind to them.

So Christmas comes, and Charlotte, though conflicted, duty to her husband wins, and Werther sees suicide as the only way to release the two of them.

Werther requests to borrow Albert’s pistols for a “long journey.”  Albert loosing his sympathies, enhances Charlotte’s conflict by making her hand over the pistols to Werther’s messenger.

Wracked with guilt, she runs to Werther to prevent the tragedy she foresees.  Too late, Werther has fired the gun and is dying.  In a prolonged death scene ridden with guilt, Charlotte blames herself.  Werther absolves her and they declare their love as he dies.  It is left to the viewer to imagine  whether Charlotte’s grief and guilt are assuaged and she lives in a happy marriage with Albert, or the whole thing dissolves on the rocks of guilt and missed opportunities.

In this production we are treated to some gorgeous and fabulous singing.  James Valenti, tenor in the leading role as Werther has, a gorgeous smooth mid and high register.  He can become covered in the lower register, but that is a lot due to Massenet’s scoring.  Interestingly Massenet later rewrote the part of Werther for the baritone voice.  James Valenti’s first entry was a little tentative with some pitch problems.  However he soon pulled it together and did not put a foot wrong after that.  Hopefully his problem at entry will be overcome by opening night.

There was real chemistry between James Valenti and the leading Mezzo soprano, in the role of Charlotte, Roxana Constantinescu.  She has a gorgeous “Straussian” Mezzo voice and delighted us with her agility and power.  In addition to fine signing from these principals, their acting and stage craft were of a very high order.

Special mention must be made of Angela Mortellaro, who sang Sophie, Charlotte’s younger sister.  She is artist in residence at MSO.  Apart from a wonderful stage presence, she was an entirely believable older teen,  she has a powerful clear toned soprano voice that is a smooth as silk.  Watch her star rise!

Also I must give high praise to the children’s chorus.  In act one they sung in that dreadful shouting lusty fashion, that I so frequently have chastised American music teachers for.  This was a perfect parody.  After correction from their father, they sang in with a clear voiced sound, with a perfect blend of head and chest voice.  Well done!  I have to say the entire cast gave a very good account of themselves.

The opera was conducted by Christoph Campestrini.  The orchestra played without a sour note.  This opera is heavily scored for lower brass and woodwinds.  They all rose to the challenge.

So how was the total production?  Let me say right away that everyone was on the same page with this production.  I would encourage all lovers of opera, and those wanting to get acquainted, to go to this production.  I would bet you will be adsorbed and entertained by the production and have a good evening out.  However, it is legitimate to have questions about the page.

The director Kevin Newbury, has chosen to use this conflict of love, duty, brooding and depression as a metaphor for the conflict of the rise of the industrial age.  If you don’t believe me watch this video.

Now he has this large projection of an early 20th century industrial scene projected throughout.  I found this a most dominating and distracting element.  I suppose it is valid to look at the opera this way.  However Goethe wrote the story in 1774, when only Albion was becoming precociously industrialized.  Admittedly by the premier of this opera in 1892, the USA and Germany were well on the road to industrialization with increasing industrial output.  That said I doubt thoughts of the problems of the industrial age were in Massenet’s head when he composed this score.

This is a French romantic opera, with long lines and lush scoring.  What we got was a very angular musical production, that sounded Nordic with hints of the New Viennese School which had not yet ushered in the “Age of Ugliness” to music.

Part of this effect musically is due to the conditions at the Ordway.  The orchestra pit is far too small.  Now you have to have the necessary woodwinds brass and percussion as they are vital to the score.  So the strings get short changed, which seriously changes the balance of the sound the composer intended.  I understand the Ordway Center is due for a makeover, but I don’t believe changes to the theater and in particular the orchestra pit are part of it.  I hope I’m wrong about this.  If not, it is something that needs serious attention.

Even so, I think Massenet’s lovely long lines were made angular to fit the image conjured by the industrial projection.  I played a performance under Michel Plasson on DVD again this morning before writing this review.  In France Michel Plasson is considered the doyen of French Romantic opera.  Plasson’s lines are much more beguiling, long and languid.  The sound lush with the glow of romanticism.  For me Plasson’s way with the score is to be much preferred.  I won’t go so far as to say that the MSO interpretation is invalid, but different from the approach I prefer.

I make an issue of this because I love Opera and have a nice collection of Opera on Blue Ray disc and growing.  However many are ruined by the egos and hubris of the current crop of opera stage directors.

We need another generation of conductors with bigger egos, to make the stage directors conform to the aesthetic and musical idiom of the composition, and not the other way round.