Two geniuses tell one tale
Long Beach Opera director puts Goethe to music with Schubert's 'Winterreise' for a unique love story.
Mitisek conceived the action as a flashback after Werther's suicide. When we first see him, he has a bloodstain on his chest. This causes some confusion. Is he a ghost when he sings his first song with Lotte cuddled on his lap and then carries her to his bed, or is he fantasizing? But where, and when? Fortunately, these narrative questions soon fade under the growing strength of the performance.