After a super intensive working day in St. Petersburg my
evening programme consisted of the opera “Werther” by Jules Massenet in the
Mariinsky Concert Hall. This opera suits perfectly for good relaxation.
Massenet’s music in “Werther” is partly airy and romantic and, especially
towards the end, extremely dramatic. The two and a half hours in the Concert
Hall flew by and all work related issues were forgotten.
“Werther” is based on the rather well known story by
Goethe “The Sorrows of Young Werther”. The opera tells about Werther, who falls
in love with Charlotte, but marries Albert as she has promised to do to her
dead mother. The heartbroken Werther then commits suicide. A very operatic
story!
The opera was a concert version, so there was no special
stage design or costumes, though some of the ladies did change their dress
during the interval.
I think the soloists were well chosen. Ekaterina
Sergeevna, who sang the role of Charlotte, had a fine, strong voice. As a
performer she sometimes seemed rather stiff, but when she in the third act sang
about the fragile heart, the emotion was incredible and you could feel the
heart breaking. What an aria! Margarita Ivanova, who sang the role of
Charlotte’s younger sister – Sophie, was in the role of her life. Her voice and
all the gestures created the girly Sophie, who absolutely radiated joy on the
stage. The scenes between the two sisters were very interesting: two great
voices, the more restrained big sister and the playful little sister and a
realistic sisterhood. Great opera.
Dmitry Voropaev, who sang the role of Werther, did
receive in the end well-earned round of applause. I have heard him before in
several roles and personally I am not very fond of the clang of his voice; it
is a bit to nasal to my taste, but he does know how to sing. The role of the father was sung by Pavel
Shmulevich, whose performances I have always liked. He has a beautiful voice,
well worth listening to.
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