Act One . Erster Akt.Premier Acte: Assez! Assez! - Noel! Jesus vient de naitre/Bravo pour les enfant - Robert Lloyd/Children from the Royal Opr House Production/Malcolm King/paul Crook/Isobel Buchanan
Act One . Erster Akt.Premier Acte: Je ne sais si je veille - Jose Carreras
Act One . Erster Akt.Premier Acte: Jesus vient de naitre!/Charlotte! Charotte!/Ah! monsieur Werther! - Children from the Royal Opr House production/Jose Carreras/Frederica Von Stade/Isobel Buchanan
Act One . Erster Akt.Premier Acte:O spectacle ideal d' amour et d' innocence/Monsieur Werther! - Robert Lloyd/Frederica von stade/Isobel Buchanan/Jose Carreras
Act One . Erster Akt.Premier Acte: Sophie! - Thomas Allen/Isobel Buchanan
Act One . Erster Akt.Premier Acte: Elle m' aime....elle pense a moi - Thomas Allen
Act One . Erster Akt.Premier Acte: Il faut nous separer - Ah! Pourvu que je voie ces yeux - Frederica von Stade/Jose Carreras
Act One . Erster Akt.Premier Acte: Mais vous ne savez rien de moi - Jose Carreras/Frederica von Stade
Act One . Erster Akt.Premier Acte: Reve! Exase! Bonheur!/Charlotte! Charlotte! Albert est.... - Jose Carreras/Frederica von Stade/Robert Lloyd
Act Two. Zweiter Akt. Deuxieme Acte: Trois mois! Voici trois mois que nous sommes unis! - Thomas Allen/Frederica von Stade
Act Two. Zweiter Akt. Deuxieme Acte: Un autre est son epoux!/J' aurais sur ma poitrine - Jose Carreras/Malcolm King/Paul Crook/Thomas Allen
Act Two. Zweiter Akt. Deuxieme Acte: Mais celle qui devint ma femme - Jose Carreras/Thomas Allen
Act Two. Zweiter Akt. Deuxieme Acte: Frere, voyez le beau bouquet!/Du gai soleil, plein de flamme - Isobel Buchanan/Thomas Allen/Frederica von Stade/Jose Carreras
Track Listings (18) - Disc #2
Act Two. Zweiter Akt. Deuxieme Acte:Ah! qu'il est loin ce jour plein d'intime douceur - Isobel Buchanan/Frederica von Stade
Act Two. Zweiter Akt. Deuxieme Acte: Lorsque l'enfant revient d'un voyage avant l' heure/Mais... - Isobel Buchanan/Thomas Allen/Frederica von Stade/Jose Carreras
Act Three - Dritter Akt . Troisieme Acte:Werther! Werther...Qui m' aurait dit la place/Ces lettres.. - Frederica Von Stade
Act Three - Dritter Akt . Troisieme Acte: Bonjour, grande soeur!/Mais souffres-tu? - Frederica von Stade/Isobel Buchanan
Act Three - Dritter Akt . Troisieme Acte: Va! Laisse couler mes larmes/Les larmes qu' on ne.... - Frederica von Stade/Isobel Buchanan
Act Three - Dritter Akt . Troisieme Acte: Ah! mon Courage M' Abandonne! - Frederica Von Stade
Act Three - Dritter Akt . Troisieme Acte: Oui C'est Moi!/Pourquoi cette parole amere?Traduire... - Jose Carreras/Frederica von Stade
Act Three - Dritter Akt . Troisieme Acte: Pourquoi me reveiller, o souffle du printemps? - Jose Carreras
Act Three - Dritter Akt . Troisieme Acte: N'achevez pas! - Ciel, ai-je compris? - Jose Carreras/Frederica von Stade
Act Three - Dritter Akt . Troisieme Acte: Ah! Moi! Moi! Dans ses bras!/Mais non, c'est impossible - Jose Carreras/Frederica von Stade
Act Three - Dritter Akt . Troisieme Acte: Werther est de retour - Thomas Allen/Frederica von Stade
Act Four . Vierter Akt . Quatrieme Acte: The Night before Christmas(Orch) Weihnachtsnacht(Orch) - Massenet, Jules
Act Four . Vierter Akt . Quatrieme Acte: Werther!..Rein!/Non! non! c'est... - Frederica Von Stade
Act Four . Vierter Akt . Quatrieme Acte: Qui parle? - Jose Carreras/Frederica von Stade
Act Four . Vierter Akt . Quatrieme Acte: Oui, du jour meme - Jose Carreras/Frederica von Stade
Act Four . Vierter Akt . Quatrieme Acte: Noel! Noel! Noel! - Oui Noel, c'est... - Children From The Royal Opr House production/Jose Carreras/Isobel Buchanan
Act Four . Vierter Akt . Quatrieme Acte: Ah! Ses Yeux se ferment/ La-bas, au fond du cimetiere - Jose Carreras/Frederica von Stade/Children from the Royal Oper...
If there is a single word to describe the singing of mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, it is "luminous," and she shines with clear radiance in this classic recording, bringing rare depths of emotion to the role of Charl... more »otte. If José Carreras is not her dramatic equal, he sings well, sounding believable as an ardent suitor so smitten that he kills himself when he believes that all hope is lost. Isobel Buchanan has a bright and youthful voice that makes Sophie sound sweet and young, avoiding the pitfalls of twitishness into which some interpreters of the role drop, while Thomas Allen makes Albert far more than the cipher that he so often becomes. Sir Colin Davis's sensitive conducting makes this the preferred set by a wide margin. --Sarah Bryan Miller« less
If there is a single word to describe the singing of mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, it is "luminous," and she shines with clear radiance in this classic recording, bringing rare depths of emotion to the role of Charlotte. If José Carreras is not her dramatic equal, he sings well, sounding believable as an ardent suitor so smitten that he kills himself when he believes that all hope is lost. Isobel Buchanan has a bright and youthful voice that makes Sophie sound sweet and young, avoiding the pitfalls of twitishness into which some interpreters of the role drop, while Thomas Allen makes Albert far more than the cipher that he so often becomes. Sir Colin Davis's sensitive conducting makes this the preferred set by a wide margin. --Sarah Bryan Miller
Susan B. from PARKSLEY, VA Reviewed on 5/14/2007...
This opera is on 2 CD's and includes the libretto
CD Reviews
Verismo-like Massenet
PhantomOfTheOpera | 03/07/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In many ways, this is very impressive version, according to many critics (Gramophone) still the best one. No doubt Von Stade is probably ideal Charlotte. In my opinion, problems are with Davis and Carreras. Conductor's reading is too much in verismo-like manner and singers, especially Carreras, (are able to) go this way. But Massenet is not Mascagni or Leoncavallo.
For me the most impressive current recording of this opera with mezzo Charlotte is RCA/Jurowski version with Kasarova and Vargas (although with no French in team)."
A Werther that will break your heart
PhantomOfTheOpera | Norway | 10/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this opera after having heard Carreras singing "Porquoi me reveiller" in a concert. I've never heard anyone sing this aria so "devastatingly well". Carreras sings the part of the "head-over-heels-in-love-Werther" and he sounds every bit the heartbroken young man who kills himself when he realizes that he can't have the woman he loves because she promised her mother on her death-bed to marry another. His final aria takes me to the verge of a complete breakdown. He asks Charlotte to be buried in Christian ground, but if that's refused (because of him killing himself) he will rest in a solitary dale where a certain woman will come to visit and shed a tear on his grave. The aria is sung in a voice that contains so much emotions and sweetness that you can't help but being choked up.
Frederica Von Stade, one of the top mezzos of our time sings the part of Charlotte. Von Stade has a beautiful voice and she gives a wonderful portrait of a woman torn between two men; the one she's in love with and the one she's married to..... She keeps Werther at a distance to not give in to him. Still he guesses that she loves him, but when she refuses to admit it; it actually drives him to committing suicide. Charlotte finds him before he dies and at last she tells him that she loves him. But it's too late. Werther dies and leaves both Charlotte and the listener completely devastated.
I just loved Robert Lloyd in the role as the bailiff (Charlotte's father). It's always a pleasure listening to him singing and he really sounds like a loving father.
Isobel Buchanan who is Charlotte's sister Sophie is the one in this opera who maintains that one has to be happy. She has a lovely voice which sounds like that of a young woman and she gives a convincing performance throughout the entire opera.
Thomas Allen beautifully portrays Charlottes' husband Albert who goes from being a man that's understanding towards Werthers' love for his wife to a man who obviously has lost his patience with the infatuated young man. And I guess he also suspects that his wife reciprocates Werthers' feelings.
The opera is highly recommendable if you're prepared for the devastating experience it is. Not because of the singers; they are superb, but for the sake of the young love that's doomed right from the beginning. Keep lots of tissues at hand!"
A sublime recording
Benjamin Seldon | Sydney, NSW Australia | 10/31/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Over ten years or so this recording has steadily moved itself up in my personal list of favorites. Gramaphon rates it highly and it is not difficult to understand why. There is a delicious fragility to this recording; a lyrical tenderness that is exquisite. As for the singers, Frederica Von Stade is magnificent and Carreras is wonderfully expressive.
I have never been a fan of Carrerras at all. Of the famous 3 tenors he is the least gifted and least powerful, ordinarily the least able to move you with the quality of his voice. In this recording, however, he is extraordinary. His voice is briliant, possessing all the naive innocence and stupendously futile, self absorbed passion that one would expect of this role. He puts forward a committed and lyrical performance as the niave frustrated lover, erupting at times with unexpected senstivity and passion.
Von Stade is devastatingly good in this role. Her performance drips with pathos. Her act 3 performance is beyond words.
This recording also made me a devout fan of Thomas Allen. His voice is sublime; warm and authoritive by degrees. The rest of the supporting cast is excellent, especially Robert Lloyd in the diminutive role of the baliff, and Colin Davis reads the score with impressive tenderness that allows for the the thrill of tension that pervades the opera. Thomas Allen fetching his pistols to have delivered to Werther is spine tingling stuff.
Admittedly, I find it difficult to remain objective. I adore the world of this recording. It is wave upon wave of an emotion that I have long forgotten, and a bitter sweet reminder of love's futility. It is a wondeful performance, at once intimate and sensitive, surging at times with intense emotion; a french 'Tristan' in the way that Debussy's 'Pelleas et Melisande' is not. The intimacy of the score is pervasive. It is not 'verisimo-massenet', simply well sung. Intoxicating stuff!"