LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN
DIRECTOR: Bartlett Sher
CONDUCTOR: Yves Abel
CAST: Vittorio Grigolo, Thomas Hampson, Kate Lindsey, Erin Morley, Hibla Gerzmava and Christine Rice
RUNNING TIME: 226 minutes
RATING: ****
Hoffmann, the central character in Jacques Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, is a lovelorn poet. It is quite hard to constantly sympathise with this rather passive creature with a desperate tendency to fall in love with the wrong women – in his case a mechanical doll, a dying singer and a prostitute.
Just about every new production of this opera will have different ingredients from its predecessors. Examples: the sequence of the three acts are from time to time changed around against the composer’s recommendation. Dialogue is often used, but in the Metropolitan Opera’s latest incarnation this is dropped in favour of recitatives.
Many parts of the opera which were cut by Offenbach’s editors and publishers after his death (he died before its premiere) are diligently reinstated, reaching almost Wagnerian proportions in length. Most of it is often of forgettable quality, but here the inclusion of, for example, the Muse/ Nicklausse’s “violin aria” in the Antonia act, is a very welcome addition.
Bartlett Sher is a director with a sharp eye regarding period reincarnation. In a brief interview with Met presenter Deborah Voigt, Sher mentions that he added to the Jewish dynamic of the story a Kafkaesque element which made it more edgy.
The Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo’s account of the title role is sensitive and ardent. He rather prefers to sing mostly in half-voice to full-blown, emotional vocal gestures which can easily weaken the characterisation of a poet who lives an inner world. However, Grigolo is never too lachrymose, but he is seldom a virile hero. A solid vocal portrait.
Hoffmann’s constant companion is the already mentioned Muse/ Nicklausse, fascinatingly portrayed by the mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey who is almost always on stage. It’s a role which is often reduced to basics, but dramatically and vocally it is presented with high levels of substance.
Of Hoffmann’s three loves, Erin Morley’s portrayal of Olympia is spirited. She also gives us a full-blown vocal characterisation of this robot-like doll, with some challenging decorations added to her brightly lit coloratura.
Hibla Gerzmava is a visually tormented Antonia, the girl who stopped singing after the death of her mother. But she sings again when seeing her former lover, Hoffmann. Her version of Elle a fui, la tourterelle has real emotional impact, not withstanding the fact that her voice is too darkly hued.
Christine Rice is a voluptuous Giulietta, but she sounds oldish and her voice at certain moments is uneven. One wished for a more luscious tone and portrayal.
Through Thomas Hampson’s well focused baritone we experience fully Hoffmann’s incarnations of evil genius we find in the characters of Lindorf, Coppelius, Dapertutto and Dr Miracle. He doesn’t always fully grasp the extent of each one, but he is totally reliable at least.
Hoffmann is an opera of rare individuality and at all times worth experiencing.
• Screening at Cinema Nouveau theatres until Thursday, March 19.