Massenet's Werther back in Scotland after 25 years

19 December 2012, 15:57 | Updated: 19 December 2012, 16:01

The classic French opera is to be staged in Scotland for the first time since 1986 in a new production by Scottish Opera for 2013.

Opera lovers will benefit from Scottish Opera's decision to bring Massenet's French classic, Werther, back to Scotland next year. Performances will start in Edinburgh Festival Theatre and Glasgow's Theatre Royal at the end of February 2013.

The new production stars Hungarian mezzo Viktoria Vizin as Charlotte, and American tenor Jonathan Boyd as the eponymous hero, Werther. The cast also includes Roland Wood, Jonathan Best, Harry Nicoll and Jonathan May, who are favourites on the Scottish Opera stage, alongside The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, conducted by Francesco Corti.

Werther completed the work, which includes the well-known 'Porquoi me reveiller', in 1897, and submitted it to the Opéra-Comique in Paris. It was performed more than 1,100 times over the next 50 years.