WGBH Radio WGBH Radio theclassicalstation.org

Massenet: Werther / Plasson, Kaufmann, Koch, Tezier, Paris Opera


Release Date: 10/25/2010 
Label:  Decca   Catalog #: 001479409  
Composer:  Jules Massenet
Performer:  Sophie Koch,  Ludovic Tézier,  Jonas Kaufmann,  Anne-Catherine Gillet
Conductor:  Michel Plasson
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Paris Opera Children's Chorus,  Paris National Opera Orchestra
Number of Discs: 2 
Length: 2 Hours 42 Mins. 

In Stock: Usually ships in 24 hours.  

Notes and Editorial Reviews

Also available on Blu-ray

Hard on the heels of a triumphant Lohengrin, Decca follows up with an equally astonishing debut performance of Jonas Kaufmann: Goethe's love-lorn hero Werther in Massenet's romantic opera. His premiere appearance in the role, in Paris in January 2010, took the French operatic world by storm, his assumption being hailed by Le Monde: "Werther is portrayed by the tenor of the moment, the German Jonas Kaufmann. He brings to the part a sublime timbre, exeptional musicality, a very wide palette of tonal shadings and immaculate diction. Add to that his histrionic gifts and matinee-idol appeal and you've got a cocktail of qualities that rarely Read more come together at the opera."

He was supported by a superb French cast, including Sophie Koch as Charlotte and Ludovic Tézier as Albert, with the venerable Michel Plasson giving an expansive, lyrical interpretation from the pit. Film director Benoît Jacquot’s attractive, straight-forward production, first seen at the Royal Opera House in London, focuses successfully on the various personal dramas of the opera.

Filmed in high definition widescreen by Idéale Audience, this new Werther is Jonas Kaufmann’s third Decca DVD, and follows the extraordinary success of his Royal Opera Carmen and the recently-released Lohengrin from Munich.

Read less

Works on This Recording

1. Werther by Jules Massenet
Performer:  Sophie Koch (Mezzo Soprano), Ludovic Tézier (Baritone), Jonas Kaufmann (Tenor),
Anne-Catherine Gillet (Soprano)
Conductor:  Michel Plasson
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Paris Opera Children's Chorus,  Paris National Opera Orchestra
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1892; France 

Customer Reviews

Be the first to review this title
Review This Title
Review This Title Share on Facebook