David Werther

World-renowned tenor Roberto Alagna stars in the most passionate of French operas, conveying the young poet’s journey from naïve hope to the agony of the much-loved aria ‘Pourquoi me réveiller?’ and the shattering final tragedy.
Massenet’s glorious opera, based on a novel by Goethe, is regularly performed all over the world and its central role is one in which Roberto Alagna has been celebrated for more than a decade. The role of Werther’s beloved Charlotte is sung by American mezzo Kate Aldrich (an acclaimed Carmen at ‘The Met’), who has sung the role to critical acclaim in Europe and Japan. Filmed live at the Teatro Regio in Turin, the powerful stage production is the work of another member of the Alagna family – the tenor’s younger brother, David.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Hector Berlioz, ATMA Classique and Festival Classica present the first complete recording of the composer's arrangements of romances for voice and guitar. Selected from The Recueil de romances avec accompagnement de guitare, most of these pieces are arrangements of popular tunes from the comic operas that were all the rage in Paris in Berlioz's time. Soprano Magali Simard-Galdes and tenor Antonio Figueroa are accompanied by David Jacques, who plays an 1829 Jean-Joseph Coffe guitar. The young Quebecoise soprano Magali Simard-Galdes has been acclaimed for her crystalline timbre, great musicality, and magnetic stage present. Recent debuts include the role of Sophie in Werther for Opera de Quebec, and Louisette in Bonsoir viosin at Opera Lafayette. Montreal native Antonio Figueroa began his career with the Opera de Montreal in their artist-in-residence program. He has won several awards, including the International Vocal Arts Institute's Silverman Prize for his performance as Belmonte. Guitarist and lutenist David Jacques has a Ph.D. in early music performance from the Universitie de Montreal. His discography consists of more than 50 recordings across several labels.

Brigitte Fassbaender rose to worldwide fame in the role of Octavian in the Strauss/Hofmannsthal comedy Der Rosenkavalier. Fassbaender took her Octavian to all the major centers including London, Milan, Vienna, New York and Tokyo and continued singing the role for over 20 years.

Mezzo-soprano singer Héloïse Mas is one of a long line of musicians who have won prizes in Belgium’s prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition while receiving acclaim from the jury, critics and audiences alike. Héloïse Mas stood out: as soon as she appears on stage, she inhabits her role entirely, her golden voice is able to combine tragedy with humour. It is a real privilege to hear such a talented singer at the start of her career; she was in her element, playing her roles without affectation, owning the stage and filling these vast architectural spaces with her powerful, rounded voice, with its irresistibly warm tone and crystal-clear diction that is as seductive in French as it is in Italian or German. It comes as no surprise that the competition jury was just as impressed as the audience!