Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Set against the haunting beauty of Teignmouth’s rugged coastline, this short film captures an intimate journey from isolation to self-discovery. A solitary protagonist, burdened by darkness and longing, embarks on a quest to connect with the romantic spirit of John Keats during his time residing in Teignmouth. Through vivid landscapes and poetic encounters, the film unravels a tale of resilience, inspiration, and the transformative power of poetry and love.

Charming, passionate, totally irresponsible young novelist Werther is sent to the city on an errand by his mother. By chance, he meets lovely Charlotte, whose allure and commitment to her impressive, stable fiancé Albert will turn Werther’s life upside down. Werther and Charlotte embark on an emotional affair, while Werther and Albert start an awkward friendship. The more entwined this trio becomes, the harder it is to navigate the complexities of lust, affinity, and love.

A despairing scholar sells his soul to Satan in exchange for one night with a beautiful young woman.

1989 recording of the San Francisco Opera production of Mefistofele: Boito's retelling of Goethe's Faust

Homeless, all thrown Mephistopheles is suffering from idleness and boredom. In a market where you can buy everything - from gralic to books on Russian history, he manages to find the soul of a ballet dancer.

Satan conjures a vision of a girl, for whom an old man signs a pact and is made young. This is a lost film from George Albert Smith

The three main soloists have voices on a scale that can compete with these flashy production values – White and Kasarova, in particular, sing at a level of intensity that would swamp anything less; the climactic seduction trio has rarely been sung so well or with such an overpoweringly polymorphous eroticism. Cambreling marshals his forces effectively, giving full rein to the work's showstoppers like the "Hungarian March" but not neglecting the subtler less kinetic Gluckian side of Berlioz's vocal writing. Recorded live at the Salzburger Festspiele, 1999.

Forbidden love, wrongdoings and anguish: the Opernhaus Zürich ventures into late nineteenth-century French romanticism with Werther by Jules Massenet. A loose adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethes epistolary novel 'The Sorrows of Young Werther', the opera is conducted by Germanys Cornelius Meister. It tells the story of the impossible union of poet Werther to Charlotte, a woman of duty already promised to a wealthy businessman. Goethes drama is echoed in Massenets score by emotionally wide-ranging vocal parts written on a grand scale. Juan Diego Flórez is undisputedly one of the best belcanto tenors of our times and embodies a tortured and nuanced Werther. 'Its not a profane appearance of any singer it is an epiphany!' gushes the Neue Zürcher Zeitung in a rave review. At Flórezs side, Franco-British mezzo-soprano Anna Stéphany sang her role début as Charlotte. The one-room staging by Tatjana Gürbaca cleverly makes the social stranglehold of oppression tangible.

Eternal Variations: "Demon", "Theseus" and "Faust" The third short story "Faust" is the author's interpretation of Goethe's tragedy.

The director, Roland Schwab, has created his version of Hell. The set is like a high iron walled hanger and the stage is continually occupied with people who look like fugitives from Mad Max and who interact with Mefistofele. The orchestra and choir are wonderful. Rene Pape gives a nuanced interpretation with a certain amount of sardonic humour under the evil. His singing and acting are first rate, as is that of Kristine Opolais and Joseph Calleja.

Alain Guingal conducts the Orchestre du Teatro Regio di Torino in this production of Massenet's opera based on the novel 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' by Goethe. Roberto Alagna stars as the titular character, a lovelorn poet whose heart is set on a beautiful young woman of his acquaintance. Unfortunately, the girl in question has already pledged herself to another. How will Werther deal with the thwarting of his romantic ambitions?

While cycling through a dark forest at night, a young boy is visited by der Erlkönig, a harbinger of death. He asks for his father to save him but the father can't see the Erlkönig and there is nothing to stop the approach of death.