Admin

Organization

Conductor

Christopher Franklin

Stage director

Nicola Berloffa

Costume designer

Valeria Donata Bettella

Set designer

Fabio Cherstich

Singer

Bass

Olivier Dejean

Crespel

Luther

Bass-baritone

Simone Alberghini

Lindorf

Coppelius

Miracle

Tenor

Florian Cafiero

Andrès

Frantz

Spalanzani

Andrea Bianchi

Wolfram

Chorus master

Corrado Casati

Lighting designer

Luca Antolini

Giorgio Berrugi

Hoffmann

Soprano

Elisa Cenni

Olympia

Maria Katzarava

Antonia

Stella

Juliet

Mezzo-soprano

Violette Polchi

La Muse

Nicklausse

Baritone

Josef Škarka

Schlemil

Herman

Oreste Cosimo

Nathaniel

Cochineal

Alessio Verna

William

Dapertutto

Pitichinaccio

Aline Martin

Voice of Antonia's mother/The voice from the grave

Fondazione Teatri di Piacenza

I Teatri di Reggio Emilia

Teatro Comunale di Modena

Others

Coro del Teatro Municipale di Piacenza

Orchestra

Orchestra dell'Emilia Romagna Arturo Toscanini (OERAT)

Teatro Valli di Reggio Emilia

Les contes d'Hoffmann -  (The Tales of Hoffmann)

Reggio Emilia

Italy

Teatro Municipale Valli

Les contes d'Hoffmann

Public

Private

The Tales of Hoffmann

Approved

"Offenbach's opera is a mysterious work since its creation: the composer died before finishing the composition, the autograph score burned and since then they have searched cellars and old attics around France and Belgium in search of shreds of the ingenious original composition; over the years the critical editions have multiplied with enormous differences and variations. We will perform, for the first time in Italy, the Kaye / Keck version, the one that comes closest to the original idea with delicious musical pearls still unknown to Italian spectators. On stage we will find ourselves in Nuremberg, in a room that in terms of taste and style recalls a Biedermeier drawing room; a large fireplace, dark boiseries and heavy curtains will reveal new elements and characters ". (Nicola Berloffa)

"A mechanical doll, a salesman of human eyes, an irresistible courtesan who steals the reflection of her lovers, and even a visit from the afterlife from a mother to her dying daughter compete for the stage, because she sings too much ... all told by a drunk poet . It is never clear in these stories what illusion is and what reality is. All these stories are based on those of ETA Hoffmann, author among other things of the story The Nutcracker, on which Tchaikovsky's famous ballet is based. ETA Hoffmann is considered one of the greatest exponents of the German romantic style, but with a decidedly fantastic, and slightly macabre flavor. In fact, Offenbach, when he decided to put these stories to music, composed equally singular and almost onomatopoeic music. One hears the mechanical ticking of the doll in the orchestral accompaniment of the harp, flute and pizzicati, the diabolical intentions whenever one of the four evil manifestations of the bass-baritone appears, the student choir getting drunk in Luther's tavern, and also Antonia's fragile heart beating in the orchestra in the third Act.
The main problem that presents itself to anyone who prepares a production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann lies in the fact that there are eight editions of the work, from 1881 to 2009, and also the first performance took place posthumously, so you will never know which official version would have preferred Offenbach. It must also be said that the orchestration of the work was not complete when the composer died, so there are many uncertainties to be resolved. Even the most famous piece of the opera, the beloved Barcarola, was not even part of the original score, but it was Ernest Guiraud, in charge of finishing the orchestration after the author's death, who decided to insert a barcarola at the beginning of the 'Act of Juliet; this piece "Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour" was in fact composed by Offenbach as "Song of the Elves" for his work Die Rheinnixen in 1864, 15 years earlier ". (Christopher Franklin)

English

The Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach, From (2015/2015), Directed by Nicola Berloffa,, Conductor Christopher Franklin, Teatro Municipale Valli, Reggio Emilia, Italy

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Co-Producer

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues