Werther
The poet Werther is gripped by an obsessive love for Charlotte, who has already decided to marry someone else. She eventually begins to reciprocate his feelings - but is it too late for them? Massenet's lyrical Goethe setting is given a new production by French film director Benoît Jacquot . Presented by Stephanie Hughes.
Royal Opera Chorus and Orchestra, conductor Antonio Pappano Actl
7.45 Interval: Opera Box
Stephanie Hughes talks to opera historian Sarah Lenton about the story of Werther, which not only inspired Massenet's opera but also started a fashion craze amongst the young men of 19th-century England. And
French music expert Roger Nicholls takes a closer look at Massenet himself.
8.10 Act 2
8.45 Interval: The Silence
Just what went on in Gothenburg? A short story by Julian Barnes , read by Ian McDiarmid.
9.10 Acts 3 and 4