Jules Massenet’s music epitomizes French late Romanticism. Of his output of more than 30 operas, Werther—based on Goethe’s novel The Sorrows of Young Werther—is the best-known and tells of doomed love in music of great tenderness and passion. Werther offers exceptionally rewarding roles for its lead tenor and mezzo-soprano, as Werther and Charlotte. This celebrated recording places the hugely experienced Alfredo Kraus center stage, to powerful effect. He sings the opera’s best-known aria, “Pourquoi me réveiller,” gloriously, bringing the moment he realizes that his love for Charlotte is reciprocated to glorious life. Tatiana Troyanos is a wonderful Charlotte, possessing a beautiful, warm mezzo voice and a commanding dramatic presence. Michel Plasson is a sympathetic conductor, allowing the singers space to explore their deeply human characters.