WERTHER

Jules Massenet

When an opera is performed in the original, it sometimes seems that singers pronounce the text mechanically, though understanding the meaning of the words they do not feel them. Here we had the opposite. Young artists sang as if French were there mother tongue. Each word was understood and each had a necessary, specific colour. With the totality of their performance they achieved what is most important on stage – believing in their characters they managed to convince us of them and we believed them. (…) An actually interesting departure from the standard staging, though a definitely possible and very interesting approach that owing to excellent interpreters was convincing and acceptable. I would even say that the return to a sickly-sweet romanticism could be possibly boring. In that sense modern, such a direction is welcome. Of course, it is necessary to have singers who will carry this direction out, which they can do only if they believe in it themselves. The four young Rijeka singers managed this successfully.

Marija Barbieri, Klasika.hr

It was lyrism that dominated this performance; the romantic lyrism that emerges from Massenet’s music, which Fabrizio Melano hears, which he loves and respects, giving it an adequate stage presentation in the openness of scenes and by colours of the lighting. The romantic lyrism of the score was ever so inspiringly and thoroughly expressed by conductor Ville Matvejeff, with a gentle, rapturous playing of the orchestra as a whole as well as its prominent soloist sections (string players, harp, single woodwind players, and, especially so the cello).

Davor Schopf, Vijenac

Running time:
The performance lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes, including two intervals.