Only the little orchestral interlude, The Last Sleep of the Virgin, once played, I believe, at a Valentine's Day concert...

I've just added this DVD to my list:



Not a staged version, but a concert. Interesting to hear the baritone version of Werther, though.

The Werther DVDs arrived today and I watched the performance this evening. It's a baritone version Massenet arranged for Battistini in 1902 and Thomas Hampson is superb (I'm sure Operacat has seen it, or perhaps was there at the Chatelet). A pity it's not a fully staged effort, but the acting and singing in this concert performance is very good. The big aria Pourquoi me reveiller is a little different, Massenet having to transpose/alter some of the lines. I have a performance of this version on disc (in Italian, as Battistini himself would have performed it, of course, and without the starry casting of Thomas Hampson and Susan Graham) and read in the booklet notes that it was also due to Battistini that Massenet transposed the role of Athanaël in Thaïs from bass to baritone.

Ho!  I've now had the opportunity to listen to Massenet's "Cleo" and find it be be a pretty impressive work.  Didier Henry and Kathryn Harris are both excellent, especially her "J'ai verse le poison dans cette coupe d'or " where her lower register is a deal more attractive than many other mezzos and she shows fine sensitivity and shading.  The whole performance seems, on first hearing, to be first class and the conductor has an obvious love for the work.  I'll listen again in a couple of days and see if my impressions are still the same
My thanks to Il Grande for recommendation and persuasion.
Cheers.
S'wave

Ho "Il Grande".   I've just listened again to "Cleo" and, as usual, further felicities have been discovered.  I'm really impressed with this opera now and look forward to further hearings.  I'm also becoming rather attached to Kathryn Harris.   It would be interesting if, at some time, a further quality recording was to be issued.
Cheers