“Werther” and Wertherianism in the Opera Genre of the Last Third of the 19th Century

The article focuses on refraction of the Wertherianism in the art of opera in the last third of the 19th century. In the center, there are the reflections on the operas by J. Massenet and P. Tchaikovsky, some parallels between which were already recognized by the contemporaries of these composers. The Wertherian tendencies are also considered in a wider musical and historical context, which includes not only “Werther” and “The Queen of Spades”, but also “Tristan and Isolde” by Wagner, where for the first time, according to the author of the article, the image of the “New Werther” was captured. The author analyzes the parallels in implementation of the images of characters (Charlotte - Liza, Tristan - Werther - Hermann, Albert - Eletsky), the problems of the aforementioned compositions (in particular, the refraction of the ideas of Liebestod and free will). But the drama and music (especially the leitmotif system) have both similarities and differences due to some different properties of the national mentality. The author comes to the conclusion that the worldview of Massenet and Tchaikovsky had a lyrical basis, which caused the relevance of the “New Wertherianism” in the late 19th century.

«Вертер», «Пиковая дама», «Тристан и Изольда», Opera of the last third of the 19th century, Wertherianism, J. Massenet, P. Tchaikovsky, R. Wagner, “Werther”, “The Queen of Spades”, “Tristan and Isolde”

1. Zaidenshnur E., Kiselev V., Orlova A., Shemanin N., Yakovlev V. (ed.) Dni i gody Petra Il’icha Chaikovskogo : Letopis’ zhizni i tvorchestva [Days and years of Peter Tchaikovsky: Chronicles of the life and work]. Moscow, Leningrad, 1940, 744 p.

2. Aleksandrovskii G. O romane Gete «Stradaniya molodogo Vertera»: Nachalo mirovoi skorbi [On Goethe’s “The Sorrows of Young Werther” novel: Home Weltschmerz]. Moscow, 1897, 50 p.

3. Bodler Sh. Tsvety zla [Les Fleurs du mal]. Moscow, Vodolei Publ., 2012, 220 p. (in Russ.)

4. Shopengauer A. Mir kak volya i predstavlenie, Collected Works, in 6 vol., vol. 1. Moscow, Terra — Knizhnyi klub, Respublika Publ., 1999, 496 p.

5. Kuzmin M. Uslovnosti: stat’i ob iskusstve [Conditional: articles about art]. Petrograd, Polyarnaya Zvezda Publ., 1923, 192 p.