CD:
Houston Grand Opera: Werther (Jules Massenet)

The opera about unrequited love returns to Houston Grand Opera with this production from French director Benoît Jacquot (out now on CD and digitally).

Premiered in 1892 and based on Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, the tragic opera about unrequited love returns to Houston Grand Opera for the first time since 1979 with this production from French director Benoît Jacquot, making his HGO debut. The despondent title character’s inevitable descent into depression and suicide is fuelled not only by unrequired love but by the social constructions that prevent Charlotte returning Werther’s passion.

This opera features four artists making their long-anticipated Houston debuts: three-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, as Charlotte; tenor Matthew Polenzani, one of the most gifted performers of his generation, as Werther; soprano Jasmine Habersham, as Charlotte's sister Sophie; and baritone Sean Michael Plumb, a 2021 Tucker Grant recipient.

Original title Houston Grand Opera: Werther (Jules Massenet)
Genre Opera
Production year 2023
Duration 180 mins
Audio format Super Audio CD
Orchestra / Band Houston Grand Opera
Conductor Robert Spano
Soloists The Bailiff: Patrick Carfizzi, Werther: Matthew Polenzani, Charlotte: Isabel Leonard, Clara: Olivia Atanu, Gretel: Elizabeth Garcia, Sophie: Jasmine Habersham, Albert: Sean Michael Plumb