Lyric drama in four acts and five scenes after Goethe
Libretto by Edouard Blau, Paul Milliet
and Georges Hartmann
English translation by Norman Tucker
The Cast
John Brecknock, tenor - Werther
Patrick Wheatley, baritone - Albert
Harold Blackburn, bass - The Magistrate
Dame Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano - Charlotte
Joy Roberts, soprano - Sophie
John Tomlinson, bass - Johann
Terry Jenkins, tenor - Schmidt
Nigel Waugh, baritone - Brühlmann
Janice Andrew, mezzo-soprano - Käthchen
English National Opera Chorus
English National Opera Orchestra
Sir Charles Mackerras - conductor
Recorded live by the BBC at the London Coliseum
13 December 1977
Producer - Elaine Padmore (BBC)
Opera
'Charlotte is sung with complete abandon and all the perception into the character one had remembered, but also John Brecknock as Werther. His singing is expressive, tireless and makes every word of the English translation crystal clear... the set gives us real music-drama... Charles Mackerras feels the drama to the tip of his baton and the evening progresses with ever-increasing intensity. This is no careful studio recording, but a live performance in every sense, which grips the listener as much at home as it did in the opera house.'
