Offenbach : The Tales of Hoffmann

Offenbach : The Tales of Hoffmann

Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, staged by Olivier Py. High art at Geneva’s Grand Théâtre!

Three fables. A man falls in love with a doll, a young woman sings herself to death and a courtesan steals her lovers’ reflections. “Three women in the same woman”, and the same number of stories told by Hoffmann. A picture of the cursed artist slipping through women’s arms into those of his muse, under the treacherous eye of the evil one, the latter also appearing in three diabolical incarnations. Intertwining themes borrowed from the German poet, the libretto fed the composer’s fantasies with material both fantastic and fanciful, sustaining his dreams that this work would one day be a triumph at the Opéra Comique. Alas, he was to die before he could see it performed.

A former pupil of Pierre Boulez and Peter Eötvös, Patrick Davin conducts the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and a top quality company of singers gravitating around Marc Laho’s Hoffmann, with Patricia Petibon as Olympia, Rachel Harnisch as Antonia, Maria Riccarda Wesseling as Giulietta and Nicolas Cavallier as Lindorf/Coppelius/Miracle/Dapertutto.

Baroque and mystical, carnal yet metaphysical, Olivier Py’s theatrical universe comes into its own when highlighting the oddities of this truly singular work.

Offenbach : The Tales of Hoffmann [DVD]

Opéra fantastique in 5 acts (Fritz Oeser Version)

Libretto : Jules Barbier & Michel Carré

Hoffmann : Marc Laho
Olympia : Patricia Petibon
Antonia : Rachel Harnisch
Giulietta : Maria Riccarda Wesseling
La Muse / Nicklausse : Stella Doufexis
Lindorf / Coppélius / Dr Miracle / Capitaine Dapertutto : Nicolas Cavallier
Andrès / Cochenille / Frantz / Pitichinaccio : Eric Huchet
Antonia’s mother : Nadine Denize
Spalanzani : Francisco Vas
Schlemil : Bernard Deletré
Luther : René Schirrer
Crespel : Gilles Cachemaille
Nathanaël : Bisser Terziyski
Hermann : Romaric Braun
Stella : Delphine Beaulieu

Chœur du Grand Théâtre de Genève
Chorus master : Ching-Lien Wu

Chœur Orpheus de Sofia
Chorus master : Krum Maximov

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Conductor : Patrick Davin

Stage direction and lighting design : Olivier Py

Sets and costumes : Pierre-André Weitz