There is something to be said for taking a leaf out of Choderlos de Laclos’ only novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and coming up with a single masterpiece. In fact, if you think about it, it is technically impossible to produce more than one masterpiece in any given form. The principle advantage enjoyed by disciples of Laclos is a useful lack of lesser works for critics to disparage later when calling their genius into question. Shakespeare has his ‘minor’ plays, Picasso his unfortunate ceramics and there’s a reason why you won’t see a lavish adaptation of Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge on telly this Christmas, but make your festive treat a trip to the Royal Opera House to see Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann and your 2008 will finish on a spectacular high.
The Tales of Hoffmann is Jacques Offenbach’s masterpiece and the current run, directed by Christopher Cowell, is the latest revival of John Schlesinger’s 1980 centenary production. Time has withered neither the opera nor this version of it. The props, costumes and sets are fantastic$$s$$ sitting in the auditorium is like being drawn into an astonishing picture perfect dream of the 19th century. There are 4 distinct locations$$s$$ the first is the brilliant and boisterous Nuremberg tavern where the drunken Hoffmann is persuaded to entertain his boon companions with three tales from his life, which form his search for the perfect woman and give each of the ensuing three acts its individual setting.
The first act is the story of Olympia, the life-size mechanical doll with whom Hoffmann falls in love at a magnificent Paris society ball given by her unscrupulous ‘father’. Ekaterina Lekhina sings Olympia’s incredibly demanding aria with precision and clarity that no mortal ought to be able to attain and her astonishing ‘clockwork’ movements as she waltzes around the stage must be seen to be believed – this may be why the role is being shared between Lekhina and Vassiliki Karayanni.
The second act brings on the Barcarolle and it is essential not to catch the eye of anyone unsuitable at this point in the evening as you will be half in love with whoever you spot by the time it ends. Gidon Saks, who sings all four villains, comes into his own as Dappertutto, the collector of human spirits, who tricks Hoffmann into surrendering his reflection to the succubus courtesan Giulietta (Christine Rice) in whose decadent, louche palazzo the action takes place.
The third act switches to a shadowy, sinister house in Munich where Crespel (Matthew Rose) has fled with his consumptive daughter Antonia (Katie Van Kooten) in fear that her love for Hoffmann will weaken her and bring about her death from her condition$$s$$ the fate of her mother before her. The duet between Antonia and her mother’s ghost and Hoffmann’s grief as Antonia expires in his arms are the musical high points in a much darker act. The lack of chorus and presence of three spectral figures on a raised balcony serve as a reminder of the vast scale of the Opera House and the vocal power required to fill it.
It is back to Nuremberg for the Epilogue in which Hoffmann is once again disappointed in love when inebriation prevents him claiming the beautiful diva, Stella, who combines all the attractions of the women from the three stories into one perfect being. Hoffmann is left alone, drunkenly clutching the quills and parchment that are the tools of his tales, and the audience is presented with a disturbing but interesting conundrum instead of a happy ending: is true love impossible to Hoffmann because he is a genius or because he is an alcoholic? Can he be one without the other?
I will not presume to praise Rolando Villazon’s voice but it is not the only superlative part of his rendering of Hoffmann. Such is his exuberance and agility that he is capable of transforming his Hoffmann from maudlin, broken drunkard into bushy-tailed pupil and back again simply by altering his posture. It is a fabulous performance in every sense of the word.
The opera runs for 3 hours and 50 minutes with two intervals but you will not want it to end. Unfortunately for Offenbach, he died without seeing his masterpiece performed: don’t make the same mistake.
Antonio Pappano conducts all the performances.
25 November 2008 to 13 December 2008
Main Auditorium, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
