Magnificent Mayhem in Hoffmann’s Tales at the Royal Opera House | Theater | Entertainment

The Tales of Hoffmann began life as a series of short stories by German fantasy writer ETA Hoffmann around 1800. German-French composer Jacques Offenbach, who turned some of them into plays, turned them into operas, and their premiere was in February 1881, four months after the composer’s death.

The opera tells the story of a poet named Hoffmann, who had a habit of falling in love with evil women throughout his life. Since Offenbach left the work unfinished, several versions were completed by others. This may have helped the current production’s Italian director, Damiano Michieletto, feel entitled to introduce various features of his own, designed largely to heighten the fantasy and demonic spirit. Michieletto had previously appeared in many controversial productions; these included Rossini’s William Tell, which had provoked huge boos from audiences a few years earlier, but these Tales of Hoffman brought out the best of his boundless creativity.

The opera begins slowly, without much happening either musically or in the story itself, until the introduction of Olympia, Hoffmann’s first love, who is transformed into a mechanical doll. Russian soprano Olga Pudova portrays the baby’s jerky movements with great humor as she sings perfectly, hitting the impressively high notes that Offenbach gives her. Suddenly, both the music and the story were set in motion, and the opera became a great festival, drawing constant cheers and applause from the audience. Michieletto also played a valuable part in this effect, with magnificent costumes, set design, and reactions from the rest of the cast.

Many in the audience had come to see the great Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez, but it was Pudova, making her Royal Opera debut, who deserved the greatest acclaim. The other two lovers, Antonia and Giulietta, later played by Ermoleno Jaho and Marina Costa-Jackson, also gave great performances, but this was definitely Pudova’s night.

Florez sang, as always, with a happy and smooth voice, with a powerful voice when called upon, but Offenbach’s music did not give him a chance to show his true powers. In fact, perhaps the most impressive of the male roles was Italian bassist Alex Esposito, who portrayed the main villains’ roles with a magnificently evil style throughout.

Conductor Antonello Manacorda’s excellent balance between the Royal Opera House Orchestra and the singers, and the chorus’ response to Michieletto’s ideas with obvious delight, contributed to an unforgettable evening’s entertainment. Perhaps its weakest feature was the opera itself, especially its slowness before reaching a strange perfection with Olympia’s aria.

The Stories of Hoffmann runs at the Royal Opera House until December 1st and will be shown in selected cinemas on January 15th.

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Cinema details are available at: rbo.org.uk/cinema.