Offenbach's masterwork is a difficult piece to bring off. The composer died before its completion. This version by Michael Kaye and Jean-Christophe Keck included some of both. The production is shared with the Bavarian Opera in Munich. ENO have made a convincing stab at it and I think with all its warts the opera is well worth performing. For a start it has such good meaty roles. I last saw the work at the Coliseum in the days of Sir Charles Mackerras when it was done with slightly less music and some of the orinal spoken dialogue replacing Giraud's unofficial recitative. In those days the beefy voiced William MacAlpine sang the title role. This time the diminuative of stature but gloriously Italianate voiced Barry Banks made everything of the role of Hoffman. Every phrase was coloured in gold and silver. His muse, Nicklausse, was dressed like Hoffmann would have been as a schoolboy straight from a Just William book and was outstandingly sung by Christine Rice. Clive Bayley sang all of the four villains who blight Hoffmann's love life with a terrifyingly satanic revelry. He looks and sounds very similar to Norman Bailey. Simon Butteris sang the four servant roles with astonishing variety including Cochenille (the dollmaker's assistant) in outrageous drag. Although usually a comic baritone Butteris managed the tenor tessitura of the roles with ease. Some of the fast costume/make-up changes necessitated having look-a-likes on stage but this was used to terrifying advantage at one point by director Richard Jones when the stage suddenly fills with devilish copies of Clive Bayley who actually come on last.
In this production the tale of Hoffmann and Olympia the doll came first rather than last. This made sense with the sensational star of the show singing Olympia. American soprano Georgia Jarman is a discovery and her coloratura rivals that of Sutherland and Dessay. Richard Jones avoided the corny joke about the doll's spring running out and getting Cochenille to wind it up. Instead Jarman started to slow down and then creakily find herself again. The result: immaculate singing. Then she was able to use a bigger voice for the later roles she sang without straining the coloratura register. Having Giulietta's brothel scene last meant that Hoffman was able to initially be more cautious towards the devilry of Dapertutto as he appeared to have learnt from the previous acts and then fall horrifyingly for the trick.
There were a few creaky moments. The chorus have some weak spots. One make-up or scene change seems to take longer than planned and an acrobat dressed as a gorilla improvised for several minutes to pass the time. Australian Conductor Antony Walker sees that the work goes with all of its devilish charms.
In this production the tale of Hoffmann and Olympia the doll came first rather than last. This made sense with the sensational star of the show singing Olympia. American soprano Georgia Jarman is a discovery and her coloratura rivals that of Sutherland and Dessay. Richard Jones avoided the corny joke about the doll's spring running out and getting Cochenille to wind it up. Instead Jarman started to slow down and then creakily find herself again. The result: immaculate singing. Then she was able to use a bigger voice for the later roles she sang without straining the coloratura register. Having Giulietta's brothel scene last meant that Hoffman was able to initially be more cautious towards the devilry of Dapertutto as he appeared to have learnt from the previous acts and then fall horrifyingly for the trick.
There were a few creaky moments. The chorus have some weak spots. One make-up or scene change seems to take longer than planned and an acrobat dressed as a gorilla improvised for several minutes to pass the time. Australian Conductor Antony Walker sees that the work goes with all of its devilish charms.
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