I suppose that by now those who
follow this blog ardently must have realized that I am not really very good at
keeping my New Year’s Resolutions, which is why for 2014 I made none to speak
of. Considering that last year I promised myself I would at least finish the
opera count-down, it saddens me to admit that I was unable to do so. Obviously,
otherwise this would not be No. 6 on the list, but an entirely different entry
altogether. It is for two reasons that this is so: Reason No. 1 is a
significant lack of time on my part. I have begun an entirely new chapter in my
life, away from everything familiar and the everyday struggles of getting used
to a new lifestyle do drag on considerably. Reason No. 2 is a lack of an
inspiring title. It has always been, to the chagrin of my teachers at school, a
huge problem of mine that I cannot write anything – short or long – if the
title doesn’t fit. Occasionally, and only because I am being pushed by
deadlines, I deliver texts for the odd publication here and there. But, even
though I know the operas on the list, I cannot continue with the count-down,
when I don’t have a title. It is a terrible problem, but one I cannot control
or overcome. Therefore, with an extremely heavy heart and an even worse title
to begin with, I give you my first contribution to 2014 – and no, it is not an
opera by Richard Strauss, despite it being a Richard Strauss year! (Finally,
because all this Wagner-Verdi craze of 2013 was really getting on my nerves…
Especially the Wagner part!)
SPOILER ALERT! EITHER READ THE BOOK
OR WATCH THE OPERA BEFORE VENTURING FURTHER ON! ALTHOUGH, COME TO THINK OF IT,
YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENS ALREADY, EVEN IF YOU DO NEITHER…
A French opera based on a German
novel authored by one of the most important authors of European history, can
either be better than the book or worse. I am not particularly fond of the
French in general, but I do grant them that they have some kick ass composers
and they are pretty much the only reason why I would learn French, should I ever
decide to learn another foreign language. Apart from French music however, I do
not really want to have many dealings with France or its people – which is why I
am probably going to end up either marrying a French guy, or having to live and
work in France at some point in my life, just to prove me wrong, as is Life’s
want…! Back to the opera, though, I am obviously talking about Jules Massenet
and his version of Goethe’s “The Sorrows of young Werther” (now there’s a
catchy title!)
The premise of the story is rather
simple and easily explained: said “young Werther” is a poet/dreamer/nature
lover/childish person who falls in love with kindhearted/duty bound/honorable/nurturing
Charlotte, who marries Albert (no descriptive adjectives for him). Said “young
Werther” commits suicide. End of story. By the way, this has got to be the
shortest plot description I am ever going to make here! It most definitely is
the shortest so far…
Ok, so now we know what happens. It doesn’t
really sound appealing, right? I mean, you have an egotistical protagonist who
commits suicide with Albert’s gun, just because he can’t have Charlotte.
Charming! Well, it is not so simple. One of the musical arguments I have with
my mother is about French opera. She claims that there are no real memorable
melodies in it. Well, I beg to differ. And “Werther” is one of the many
examples that affirm my opinion. There are a number of scenes that include some
of the most beautiful and expressive melodies ever written. Yes, admittedly
they are typically French, in that they are filled with pathos and melodrama
and gravity and all the things that make French music different from Italian or
German music. It doesn’t really flow, nor does it have a “beat”, but this
pathetic style is in itself beautiful and strangely fits the characters of this
particular work extremely well.
And that brings me to the second point
that makes this opera interesting: the characters. Granted, the whole plot in
the opera revolves around Werther and Charlotte, they have the most to sing and
the entire last act is dominated by them. And granted, too, one might even
argue that neither character undergoes a major change. Perhaps that is most
true for Werther. His sole purpose in life is to woe Charlotte and be an
artist. However, it is clear that the second part is rather unimportant to him
from the moment he meets her. The tragedy in their case is a result of both
Charlotte’s sense of duty and Werther’s weak character. This weakness is
evident in the fact that he only fights for her when she is alone with him and
never when Albert is present. He takes the easy way out. He asserts his power
only in front of Charlotte and then immediately regrets doing so. Werther is no
fighter. He doesn’t really know how to fight. In reality he is the typical
egotist. And because he also is an artist, he needs someone to both inspire and
commend him. Charlotte, in his mind, is that Muse he needs, but she turns out
to be a dark one.
In truth, this opera is concentrated
on Charlotte. She is the one that has to suffer for everything. Let us consider
this for a moment: Indeed, the two of them would make a brilliant couple if
Albert were not in the middle. Why? Because Werther, as an artist, is unable to
care for himself and Charlotte is a successful housewife, taking on the role of
the mother to her little siblings early on, with her mother’s passing. She
would take care of the artist and be his inspiration at the same time. And it
would please her too, because she is the kind of person that lives to serve
others. But, there is the small hiccup called Albert and Charlotte’s oath to
her dying mother that she would marry him. So, this idyllic idea cannot be
realized. Charlotte does love Albert, but that love is not a carnal love; it is
a love borne from duty. Werther is the wakeup call for her sexuality, but she
cannot give in to that, because she feels bound by duty.
And then there is the final act. Up
to that point the opera pretty much follows the events of the book by
condensing them of course to the absolute essentials. It is this final act that
really makes the opera better than the book however and the reason is this: in
the book, Werther shoots himself with Albert’s gun and dies about a day later
(on Christmas day) with Charlotte’s siblings all around him. The last thing he
experiences is the touch of children’s lips on his face, which is according to
his love of children and his own self – the child that is trapped inside a
grown-ups body. But Charlotte is not present in the scene, so the romance is
not really concluded. The opera takes a different approach to that and for the
better: Werther shoots himself with Albert’s gun again on Christmas day, but
this time Charlotte finds him and the two of them spend some truly tragic
moments together, with sublime music to make things even worse. And there is
also the outrageous request that Werther makes of Charlotte, which is the absolute
crowning of his egotism and proves once again that Charlotte is a victim of her
own sense of duty: he asks that she visit his grave every single day, for the
rest of her life, to weep for him and remember him and their unrequited love.
Of course we all know that Charlotte is going to do that, driving herself mad
with guilt probably and most definitely ruining her marriage with Albert. So,
in the opera’s end, Werther gets what he wants only he is not there to live it!
I cannot exactly explain why this
particular opera makes it into my Top 10. Perhaps it was the truly emotional
performances of Vesselina Kasarova in Munich that make it so special to me. I
saw the production with her three times and each time I was moved to the core
by it. It is a brilliant production (thank God the production has been
recorded, not in Munich unfortunately and not with Kasarova, but still it is
worth it). It is an extremely delicate staging, with constant references to
Goethe’s text as well scribbled all over the walls. I am glad someone took the
trouble to upload it on YouTube (you will find them if you search for "Massenet - Werther Le Bastille 2009) and I do urge you to find them! I do believe that, should you take the time to watch it from
beginning to end you will understand what I mean about this particular work.
Also, I feel obliged to the insightful analysis we made of Goethe’s text during
my bachelor studies in Greece in an extremely interesting seminar. It really
opened a new perspective on the opera for me, which might explain as well my
particular affection for this work.
Hopefully I have not made your first days of
2014 bleaker than they should be with this little homage to Massenet. I promise
that there is some laughter again further down the list… So, Happy New Year
everyone and don’t forget: it’s Richard Strauss Year, so indulge yourself in
his music as much as you can, without feeling any guilt whatsoever!
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