Through the haze of the years, a poet remembers the women he loved. But when it comes to matters of the heart, nothing is as it seems. Particularly when the devil himself is involved. Journeying back to his school days, Hoffmann relives his childhood romance with Olympia, a model student in every sense.
Doomed love follows him into adulthood, where the dancer, Antonia, is taken from him too soon. Meanwhile, the sensual courtesan Giulietta has her own secret agenda. As memory and fantasy becomes increasingly blurred, will Hoffmann find the enigmatic Stella before it is too late?
Director Damiano Michieletto is joined by conductor Antonello Manacorda, who leads Juan Diego Flórez and Leonardo Caimi, who share the role of the poet E.T.A. Hoffman. The cast includes Alex Esposito, Julie Boulianne plus Ermonela Jaho, Olga Pudova and Marina Costa-Jackson as Hoffmann’s unforgettable trio of lovers.
Offenbach's best-known musical work may be the 'can-can', but ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’ has its own fair share of popular tunes, including the lilting ‘Barcarolle’. Traditionally sung by Venetian gondoliers, Offenbach's take, ‘Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour’ (Beautiful night, oh night of love), is a duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano, featuring the courtesan, Giulietta, and Hoffmann’s loyal companion, Nicklausse. ‘Olympia’s Song’ is a dazzling showcase for the soprano voice at its most acrobatic. In the original opera libretto, she is a living doll who runs out of power part-way through her song and requires ‘winding up’ to resume her performance.
An opera fantastique sung in French, in three acts plus prologue and epilogue
240m inc 2 Intervals
Tickets £19.50
