The Sorrows of Young Charlotte

by Susanne Krekel

Massenet’s Werther at Munich, Gärtnerplatztheater

Munich, march 26 2023 - Goethe’s novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, is the tale of a young man’s love for a woman who will eventually marry another, and the young man’s suicide. In the novel, the woman, Charlotte, is seen exclusively as the object of Werther’s love; from today’s point of view, the hero strikes us as somewhat egocentric and immature. In Massenet’s opera, however, Charlotte becomes a person in her own right, torn between her love for Werther and the promise given to her dying mother, to marry the solid and trustworthy Albert. It is this dynamic, together with Werther’s rapturous feelings, that Massenet’s music illustrates so admirably, and Charlotte’s dilemma is something that women still face today.

At the Gärtnerplatztheater, Herbert Föttinger places the action rather in the late 19th century than in young Goethe’s time; it is obvious from Walter Vogelweider’s lovely sets, Peter Hörtner’s effective lighting, and Albert Mayerhofer’s costumes.

Charlotte’s father dwells in a house where sky-blue wallpaper, nature scenes in black frames, little furniture clearly indicate the rigid spirit of the time. Thus, in the very first scene, Charlotte’s father conducts the choir of his children in a Christmas carol. He is not pleased with them, and the baton he uses beats the rhythm just as he might beat those children on other occasions. The portrait of a woman takes a prominent place on a wall, obviously the late mother and wife, who is present and central in the life of the family.

This idyll, that we perceive as somewhat fragile is interrupted by Werther. His suit, worn with an open collar and rather negligently, contrasts with the stiff and correct attire of the other protagonists. He has come to take Charlotte to a ball; while waiting for her, he sings of the beauty of nature, of the calm and quiet surroundings. They leave together, and as they come back, they have danced together, a love scene is in the offing… Then Charlotte’s father interrupts brutally, reminding Charlotte of her duty to her late mother and her fiancé. And so it goes: Charlotte marries Albert, Werther, albeit unhappy, stays around as a family friend, until Charlotte makes him leave, at least for a while. Once he is gone, however, she realises that she cares more for him than she should. When he comes back, she rejects him again, she denies the both of them the possibility of love and happiness, entangled as she is in the net of her responsibilities. And so Werther decides to leave for good. By an intermediary, he borrows Albert’s pistols, Albert making sure that it’s Charlotte who puts them into the messenger’s hands. Shortly after, she hurries to Werther’s home, hoping to stop him, but it’s too late, she finds him wounded to death. Love, regret, remorse - a heart-rending scene of adieux, and so it ends.

All this is told in a consistent manner: be it sets or costumes, everything describes the stifling atmosphere of the late 19th century, and when Albert makes Charlotte give up the weapons, we think of Fontane’s Effi Briest and her husband, another couple lost in the inexorable conventions of that time.

Each act is preceded by an instrumental introduction, and these moments are cleverly used for the projection of a few lines by Goethe, which describe Werther’s state of mind. Even though the music is expressive and dramatic, perfectly describing every emotion of each character - indeed, this is film music before its time - we do not perceive this direct glimpse into the character’s soul as redundant at all.

A good-looking, young, and motivated cast fully deserve the public’s warm acclaim: Anna-Maria Tonauer, with her warm and round soprano, is an admirable Charlotte, and Alexandros Tsilogannis plays Werther all in nuances, sensitive and with total abandon. Andreja Zidaric is a very credible Sophie, playful and somewhat naive, and Daniel Gutmann as Albert might have a bit more to say, his warm baritone is such a joy to hear. Lots of applause also for the orchestra of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and conductor Oleg Ptashnikov, for the drive and sensitivity with which they have rendered the wonderful score.

A night at the opera as it should be, where stage and pit are at one, and that we leave, simply happy to have been there.