"Meister reins in the Philharmonia Zurich at the right moments so they never swamp the singers, yet the interludes are played for all their worth ... Flórez's Werther is a deluded loner. He's no more than a rudimentary actor; but ... he tackles Pourquoi me réveiller? with real aplomb. The voice has grown and darkened in recent years and his tight, slightly nasal quality, which suits his Rossini roles, is less evident here. The British mezzo Anna Stéphany sings an accomplished Charlotte, dignified, contained, her lines sensitively phrased and coloured".