Credit James Glossop.

Showing @ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 02 Mar

Viewed through cynical twenty-first century eyes Massenet and Goethe’s ‘hero’ Werther is, at best, faintly ludicrous and at worst a passive aggressive monster. Of course this opera was written at the height of the aesthetic movement and based upon one of the holy texts of German Romanticism, both movements concerned with the inner self so if you are able to buy into that particular mindset or can at least set aside your post-millennial prejudices for three hours, there’s much to be enjoyed in Scottish Opera’s production.

To begin with of course there’s the music, the sweeping strings and swelling brass under conductor Francesco Corti‘s hands perfectly capture the inner and outer turmoil on stage and even if on occasion the orchestra is in danger of drowning out the singers it still seems fitting to the melodramatic atmosphere on stage. The power of the music is more than matched by the performers. Tenor Jonathan Boyd is suitably full of intensity and passion as Werther and gives an unrestrained and vocally intense playing of the role. Victoria Vizin as Charlotte, the object of Werther’s affection, uses her astonishing mezzo voice to great effect making you almost forget the thankless role she has to play.

Alongside the leads special mention should go to Roland Wood who beautifully inhabits the decent, but dull Albert, Anna Devin as the light-hearted Sophie and Jonathan May and Harry Nicoll who bring some Bacchanalian colour to proceedings as Johann and Schmitt. Despite the overwrought nature of the piece, director Pia Furtado displays a lightness of touch as does designer Helen Goddard with both realising that anything too complex would be lost in the maelstrom. What Furtado has added however is a subtle thread of fantasy and imagination which give us a glimpse into Werther’s inner thoughts. It’s understandable why this is a rarely performed opera. The music is beautiful, but not necessarily memorable. The story feels odd and febrile even to an opera audience and the central character is too difficult to engage with. Scottish Opera and all those involved in this production should be proud to have created something, which despite it’s inherent flaws still manages to be an enjoyable and distracting three hours.