Opera

Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann

John Schlesinger (stage director), Evelino Pidò (conductor) – With Vittorio Grigòlo (Hoffmann), Thomas Hampson (Lindorf et al.), Sonya Yoncheva (Antonia), Christine Rice (Giulietta), and Sofia Fomina (Olympia)

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Cast

John Schlesinger — Stage director

Daniel Dooner — Revival director

William Dudley — Set designer

Maria Björnson — Costume designer

David Hersey — Lighting designer

Eleanor Fazan — Choreographer

William Hobbs — Fight director

Simon Johns — Revival fight director

Vittorio Grigolo — Hoffmann

Thomas Hampson — Lindorf/Coppélius/Dappertutto/Miracle

Sofia Fomina — Olympia

Christine Rice — Guilietta

Sonya Yoncheva — Antonia

Kate Lindsey — Nicklausse

Christophe Mortagne — Spalanzani

Eric Halfvarson — Crespel

Vincent Ordonneau — Andrès/Cochenille/Pittichinaccio/Frantz

Program notes

“An extraordinary work...insanely sumptuous, near-definitive…” exclaimed The Independent in 1980 about Oscar-winning film director John Schlesinger’s recent production of The Tales of Hoffmann. In 2016, this revival production passed any test of comparison to the original production with flying colors, featuring a spectacular cast of stars (including Vittorio Grigòlo, Thomas Hampson, and Sonya Yoncheva) who together brought to life the many fascinating characters of Hoffman’s three autobiographical tales, all set in a typical 19th-century German tavern.

Jacques Offenbach composed the score of this "fantastical opera" during the last ten years of his life and left it unfinished: its 1880 premiere included numerous modifications, with each successive production following in that mold until eventually a definitive version entered the operatic canon. Offenbach considered the opera his musical testament, suffusing it with lush melodies that remain unsurpassed to this day.

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