Massenet compiled in an exemplary way the resources that help define the genre drame lyrique in the four-act Werther. The use of well-known storylines, in this case Goethe’s novel published in 1774, was the starting point of a repertoire that was not based as much on the creation of clearly-established characters between whom dramatic relationships develop but on verismo, craftily drawing upon prior images conjured by the story’s episodes or by illustrations, where musical values strictly predominated over theatrical values. The romantic despair of Goethe’s hero, with an impossible love leading to his suicide, is softened in the libretto by Blau, Milliet and Hartmann, confined to the everyday life and sentimental boundaries of the bourgeoisie.

Massenet recreates this setting admirably. The singing is perfectly adapted to the peculiar nature and accents of the French language, delivering its discourse with complete naturalness, the melody flowing softly without harmonic complexity, with careful and clear timbre providing restrained expression in line with the character’s feelings, which are also linked to a variety of motifs, on which the work progresses. Charlotte’s grand scene at the start of Act III stands out alongside the excellence and mastery of the protagonist’s arias, such as “Pourquoi me réveiller”.