Werther
Massenet's adaptation of Goethe's novel. Werther is a tortured, intellectual young man who falls in love with Charlotte -who's already engaged to Albert - with inevitable, tragic consequences. Starring
Roberto Alagna and presented by Stephanie Hughes.
New York Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra, conductor Jacques Lacombe Actl
7.15 Twenty Minutes: A View from the Bridge 2/4. Bill Buford reveals how the romance of Manhattan lies in its being an island, how it's sustained by those coming in from the outside, and how
Manhattanites resent the daily invasion of the "bridge and tunnel crowd".
Originally scheduled fortransmission on 13 Dec 2003
7.40 Act 2
8.15 Interval: The Met Opera Quiz
Steven Blier puts listeners' questions to
Phillip Gainsley , Bill Lutes and Alan Wagner. Send questions to Met Opera Quiz, FDR Station, PO Box 805, NewYorkNY10150.orviawww.bbc.co.uk/radio3
8.35 Opera Snaps Richard Langham Smith muses on the character of Werther-romantic dreamer or adolescent wimp?
8.40 Act 3