Offenbachs The Tales of Hoffmann- Royal Opera House 2016

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 Catherine Carby — Spirit of Antonia’s Mother David Junghoon Kim — Nathanael Charles Rice — Hermann Yuriy Yurchuk — Schlemil Jeremy White — Luther Olga Sabadoch — Stella Royal Opera Chorus William Spaulding — Chorus director Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Evelino Pidò — Conductor Program notes “An extraordinary 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.