Deutsche Oper Berlin, season 2024/2025
“WERTHER”
Opera in four acts. Libretto by Edouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann,based on the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Music by Jules Massenet
Werther JONATHAN TETELMAN
Charlotte AIGUL AKHMETSHINA
Albert DEAN MURPHY
Sophie LILIT DAVTYAN
Le Bailli MICHAEL BACHTADZE
Schmidt CHANCE JONAS-O’TOOLE
Johann GERARD FARRERAS
Brühlmann JÖRG SCHÖRNER
Käthchen KARIS TUCKER
Kinderchor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Conductor Enrique Mazzola
Children’s Chorus Christian Lindhorst
Berlin, 23 July 2025
The thirteen-year tenure of Dietmar Schwarz as the director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin is coming to an end, during which a considerable number of French operas were staged, unfortunately none by Jules Massenet. It is therefore commendable that Werther is being performed in two concerts at the end of his era. Due to my lack of language skills, I am not a big fan of the French repertoire. However, the great Russian mezzo-soprano Elena Obraztsova, whom I greatly admire, made Samson et Dalila and Werther extremely accessible to me with her outstanding vocal interpretations of Dalila and Charlotte, alongside her congenial partners Placido Domingo and Alfredo Kraus. So the bar has been set high and, to say it straight away, there is nothing to find fault with the concert performance. Enrique Mazzola was once again engaged as an experienced conductor of bel canto and the French repertoire to lead the Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin confidently and transparently through the colourful impressionistic score by conjuring up a particularly beautiful Claire de lune, savouring the musical highlights and finally driving the tension towards the tragic end. I first heard Jonathan Tetelman as Rodolfo at the Komische Oper Berlin six years ago, and it is amazing to see what a meteoric career the American singer of Chilean origin has had since then. He is probably the biggest star in the current spinto tenor firmament and perfectly suited to the challenging and rewarding title role. He rhapsodises and yearns, repeatedly soaring to emphatic stentorian tones without ever losing his musical line. An outstanding performance! The same applies to the young Bashkir singer Aigul Akhmetshina, who lets her beautifully warm mezzo-soprano with a slight Slavic touch convey all of Charlotte’s emotional highs and lows. I would argue that she already continues the tradition of Irina Arkhipova or Elena Obraztsova. Armenian singer Lilit Davtyan has a beautiful, crystal-clear coloratura soprano, which she uses to great effect for Charlotte’s sister Sophie and excels particularly in her two arias. Dean Murphy, who recently stood out as the Herald in Lohengrin and Prince Yeletski in The Queen of Spades, makes the most of the thankless role of Albert, Charlotte’s fiancé and husband. Other members of the Deutsche Oper ensemble contribute to the perfect success of the concert evening, such as Georgian baritone Michael Bachtadze as Bailli, Chance Jonas-O’Toole and Gerard Farreras as his friends Schmidt and Johann, Jörg Schörner as Brühlmann and Karis Tucker as Käthchen. The Kinderchor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, rehearsed by Christian Lindhorst, sings at a famously high standard. A magnificent opera night in every respect! Photo Bettina Stöss