WERTHER is Now Playing at The Opernhaus Zürich
Performances will run through July 10, 2026.
“Werther,” Jules Massenet’s lyrical four-act opera based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s seminal Sturm und Drang novel, has returned to Zurich in a new production running from June 14 to July 10, 2026.
Performed at the Opernhaus Zürich, the production presents Edouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann’s libretto adapted from Goethe’s “The Sorrows of Young Werther.” The opera runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, including an intermission after the first part at around 1 hour and 15 minutes. Performances are in French with German and English surtitles. A pre-performance introduction is scheduled 45 minutes before each show.
Marco Armiliato conducts the production, with stage direction by Tatjana Gürbaca. The creative team also includes Klaus Grünberg for set and lighting design, Anne Kuhn as set design associate, Silke Willrett for costumes, Carl-Christian Andresen assisting on costumes, Alice Lapasin Zorzit for chorus preparation, and Claus Spahn for dramaturgy.
The cast is led by Jonathan Tetelman in the title role of Werther. Anna Goryachova performs Charlotte, with Chelsea Zurflüh as Sophie and Aksel Daveyan as Albert. The supporting cast includes Valeriy Murga as Le Bailli, Martin Zysset as Schmidt, Evan Gray as Johann, and Guram Margvelashvili as Brühlmann.
The production features the Orchester der Oper Zürich, along with the Kinderchor, SoprAlti, and Zusatzchor of the Opernhaus Zürich, as well as the Statistenverein am Opernhaus Zürich.
Based on Goethe’s 1774 novel, “Werther” follows the emotionally intense love triangle between the idealistic Werther, his unattainable love Charlotte, and her practical fiancé Albert. Massenet’s score underscores Werther’s descent into despair as he confronts a life without romantic fulfillment, ultimately leading to his suicide. The production marks Tetelman’s debut at the Opernhaus Zürich.
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