Offenbach’s operatic extravagance

Claudio Vellutini

miércoles, 7 de diciembre de 2011

Chicago, sábado, 15 de octubre de 2011.

Civic Opera. Jacques Offenbach, Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Nicolas Joël, original production. Stéphane Roche, stage director. Ezio Frigerio, set designer. Franca Squarciapino, costume designer. Vinicio Cheli, original lighting designer. Jason Brown, lighting designer. Elenco: Matthew Polenzani (Hoffmann), James Morris (Lindorf, Coppélius, Dr. Miracle, Dapertutto), Rodell Rosel (Andrés, Cochenille, Frantz, Pitichinaccio), Anna Christy (Olympia), Erin Wall (Antonia), Emily Fons (Nicklausse, La Muse), Alyson Cambridge (Giulietta), Evan Boyer (Maitre Luther), Paul La Rosa (Hermann), David Cangelosi (Spalanzani), Christian van Horn (Crespel), Jamie Barton (La mère d’Antonia), Joseph Lim (Schlémil), Emily Brisban (Stella). The Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra and Chorus. Michael Black, chorus master. Emmanuel Villaume, conductor

Les Contes d’Hoffman is considered an extravagance with good reason. The composer, Jacques Offenbach, conceived it as his major operatic undertaking, but died before completing it in 1880. Since then, the work has been a thorn in the flesh of composers and musicologists. At present, no two versions of the score agree on the amount of music the opera is supposed to contain or on its genre. Offenbach called it opéra fantastique, leaving it open whether he wanted it fully-sung or featuring spoken dialogues. Then, of course, there is the subject of the libretto -a bizarre journey into the drunken mind of one of the most visionary artists of the Romantic period, E.T.A. Hoffmann. The plot, constructed by freely reworking some of Hoffmann’s own short stories, is populated with mechanic dolls, stuttering and deaf servants, devilish doctors,…

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