Werther Was To Be March 28, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: Massenet’s Werther was to be the March 28, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as 17th in the season’s 23 radio matinees.

The Metropolitan Opera’s third Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts one German-language opera (Berg’s Wozzeck), one French-language opera (Massenet’s Werther) and one Italian-language opera (Puccini’s Turandot) during the 2019-2020 Met Opera season: Yannick Nezet-Seguin @yannicknezetseguinofficial, via Facebook Feb. 20, 2019

Jules Massenet’s Werther was to be the March 28, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and numbering as the 17th of 23 scheduled Saturday radio matinees during the 2019-2020 Met Opera season.

French Romantic composer Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912) set his musical score for Werther to a French libretto written by French dramatists and librettists Édouard Blau (May 30, 1836-Jan. 7, 1906), Paul Milliet (Feb. 14, 1848-Nov. 21, 1924) and Georges Hartmann (May 15, 1843-April 22, 1900). The libretto was based upon Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (The Sorrows of Young Werther) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Aug. 28, 1749-March 22, 1832). The German naturalist and poet’s semi-autobiographical novel was first published in 1774 in Leipzig, Germany.

Massenet’s Werther first premiered as a German-language opera Feb. 16, 1892. German music critic and translator Max Kalbeck (Jan. 4, 1850-May 4, 1921) was responsible for the premiere’s German libretto. The premiere took place at Wiener Hofoper (Vienna Court Opera), now known as Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera). The opera house is located on the Opernring section of Vienna’s Ringstrasse, the grand boulevard that encircles the city’s historic Innere Stadt (Inner Town).

Werther’s French-language libretto premiered Dec. 27, 1892, at Grand Théâtre de Genève in southwestern Switzerland. Geneva’s opera house is located at 5, place de Neuve, in the city’s center (cite-centre). The Grand Théâtre was inaugurated Oct. 2, 1879.

Werther received its United States premiere March 29, 1894. The Metropolitan Opera hosted the premiere during the opera company’s 1893-1894 tour, according to the MetOpera Database, the Metropolitan Opera’s online archives. The premiere was performed in Chicago, northeastern Illinois. The 1893-1894 Met Opera season’s second performance took place April 19, 1894, at “the old Met,” the Metropolitan Opera House in Midtown Manhattan’s Garment District.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season offers six performances of Werther. The season’s first performance took place Monday, March 16, 2020, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The month’s four additional performances happen Friday, March 20, at 8 p.m.; Monday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee broadcast, March 28, at 1 p.m.; and Tuesday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. The season’s sixth and last performance is scheduled for Saturday, April 4, at 1 p.m.

Update: The Metropolitan Opera announced via Facebook Thursday, March 12, 2020, the cancellation of the rest of the 2019-2020 season due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic. The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) entry of March 12, 2020, noted the cancellation of 58 performances. Operas affected by the cancellation were identified as La Bohème, La Cenerentola, Così Fan Tutte, Der Fliegende Holländer, Kát'a Kabanová, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Maria Stuarda, Simon Boccanegra, Tosca, La Traviata, Turandot and Werther.

Update: The opera company's coronavirus-occasioned closure affected all six performances of Werther scheduled for the 2019-2020 season. Werther was not performed in the 2019-2022 season.

The four-act opera has an estimated run time of 2 hours 51 minutes. Acts I and II are estimated at 77 minutes. An intermission of 37 minutes follows. Acts III and IV span 57 minutes.

The Metropolitan Opera’s Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, had been scheduled to conduct five (Monday, March 16; Monday, March 23; Saturday matinee broadcast, March 28; Tuesday, March 31; closing night, Saturday, April 4. The Metropolitan Opera’s third Music Director made his Metropolitan Opera debut thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, in the opera company’s 946th performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875). During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Maestro Nézet-Séguin also conducts Turandot by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924); Wozzeck by Austrian composer Alban Berg (Feb. 9, 1885-Dec. 24, 1935); and the New Year’s Eve Gala.

J. David Jackson had been scheduled to conduct the Friday, March 20, performance. The American maestro made his Metropolitan Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, in the opera company’s 248th performance of Hänsel und Gretel by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (Sept. 1, 1854-Sept. 27, 1921).

Ying Fang had been scheduled to appear in two performances (Monday, March 16; Friday, March 20) as Sophie, sister of Charlotte, whom Werther loves. The Chinese operatic soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Sunday, Sep. 28, 2013, as the Kazan Cathedral’s female voice and as Madame Podtochina’s daughter in the opera company’s seventh performance of The Nose by Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (Sept. 25, 1906-Aug. 9, 1975). In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Ying Fang also performs as Pamina in The Magic Flute by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Erin Morley had been scheduled to appear as Sophie in four performances (Monday, March 23; Saturday matinee broadcast, March 28; Tuesday, March 31; Saturday, April 4). The American coloratura soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008, as the First Madrigal in the opera company’s 211th performance of Manon Lescaut by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Joyce DiDonato had been scheduled to appear in all performances as Charlotte, who marries Albert in fulfillment of her promise to her dying mother but who loves Werther. The American operatic lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005, in the trouser role of Cherubino in the opera company’s 419th performance of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Joyce DiDonato also performs in the title role in Agrippina by German-British baroque composer George Frideric Handel (Feb. 23, 1685-April 14, 1759).

Piotr Beczala had been scheduled to appear in all performances in the title role as Werther, who commits suicide upon discovering that married Charlotte reciprocates his love. The Polish operatic tenor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006, as the Duke of Mantua in the opera company’s 814th performance of Rigoletto by 19th century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Etienne Dupuis had been scheduled to appear in four performances (Monday, March 16; Friday, March 20; Monday, March 23; Saturday matinee broadcast, March 28) as Albert, who realizes that his wife, Charlotte, loves Werther. The French-Canadian baritone made his Metropolitan Opera debut Tuesday, Sep. 25, 2018, as Marcello in the opera company’s 1,321st performance of Puccini’s La Bohème. In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Etienne Dupuis also appears as Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.

Joshua Hopkins had been scheduled to appear as Albert in two performances (Tuesday, March 31; closing night, Saturday, April 4). The Canadian baritone made his Metropolitan Opera debut Oct. 28, 2009, as Ping in the opera company’s 271st performance of Puccini’s Turandot. In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Joshua Hopkins also performs as Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Alan Opie had been scheduled to appear in all performances as the Bailiff, Charlotte and Sophie’s widowed father. The Cornish baritone made his Metropolitan Opera debut Monday, Dec. 12, 1994, as Balstrode in the opera company’s 53rd performance of Peter Grimes by Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (Nov. 22, 1913-Dec. 4, 1976).

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s presentation of Werther would have marked the second revival of Sir Richard Eyre’s staging. The English director’s new production debuted Feb. 18, 2014, in the opera company’s 74th performance of Massenet’s Werther.

Sir Richard’s production team comprises Rob Howell, set and costume designer; Peter Mumford, lighting designer; and Wendall K. Harrington, projection designer. Sara Erde is the production’s choreographer.

The takeaway for Werther as the March 28, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that Jules Massenet’s opera about poetic Werther’s thwarted love would have aired as the 17th of 23 Saturday matinees broadcast weekly through Saturday, May 9, 2020.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season revives Sir Richard Eyre’s staging of Massenet’s Werther, which debuted as new production Feb. 18, 2014, with German operatic tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the title role: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Feb. 18, 2014

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

The Metropolitan Opera’s third Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts one German-language opera (Berg’s Wozzeck), one French-language opera (Massenet’s Werther) and one Italian-language opera (Puccini’s Turandot) during the 2019-2020 Met Opera season: Yannick Nezet-Seguin @yannicknezetseguinofficial, via Facebook Feb. 20, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/yannicknezetseguinofficial/posts/2177589905834715

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season revives Sir Richard Eyre’s staging of Massenet’s Werther, which debuted as a new production Feb. 18, 2014, with German operatic tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the title role: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Feb. 18, 2014, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10153859480500533/10153859480885533/

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The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "In light of the circumstances involving the coronavirus and in consultation with the Office of the Mayor of New York City, we regret to inform our audience that all Met performances have been canceled through March 31, including tonight’s planned performance of La Cenerentola. This Saturday’s Live in HD cinema presentation of Der Fliegende Holländer has also been canceled. Thank you for your understanding. Learn More: www.metopera.org/updates." Facebook. March 12, 2020.
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Yannick Nezet-Seguin @yannicknezetseguinofficial. “My second season as Music Director of The Metropolitan Opera is just announced!! I am especially delighted to conduct a new production of Wozzeck (Peter Mattei and Elza van den Heever), revivals of Turandot (Christine Goerke, Soprano and Eleonora Buratto) and Werther (Piotr Beczała and Joyce DiDonato) as well as a special New Years Eve Gala with Anna Netrebko, all of this with the fabulous MET Orchestra Musicians (with whom I will give two concerts at Carnegie Hall) and the great Met Opera Chorus! Check all details on our metopera.org website!” Facebook. Feb. 20, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/yannicknezetseguinofficial/posts/2177589905834715