Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann: Complete Opera (with full libretto and translation)

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Music reviews of Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann: Complete Opera (with full libretto and translation)

Music Review: The Most Romantic French Opera
Rating: 5 Stars

In Act I, after Treigle shows up in the tavern, belting out his villainous aria "Dans les roles d'amoureaux" where he says "Comme un Diable" (like a Devil), Hoffman enters and regales his drunking buddies with the tales of his loves, while also entertaining them with the legend of Kleizach. He then proceeds to tell the tales of his three loves, eventhough it's all clearly fiction.

In Act 2, Hoffman becomes an apprentice to the inventor Spalanzani, whose assistant is a robot named Cochenille. Hoffman mistakes Spalanzani's latest creation, a pretty doll, for his daughter. This illusion is further produced when the evil Coppelius gives Hoffman glasses to deceive him (J'ai des yeux). At the party Spalanzani throws, his robotic daughter Olympia sings the charming coloratura aria "Les Oiseaux". It is full of embellished trills up and down the vocal scale, and she winds down suddenly before she is wound up again to finish the song. Beverly's rendition is quite pretty, perhaps more true to Offenbach's original operetta take on the art song. When Coppelius takes revenge on Spalanzani who has not proved good on his former money deal, he takes revenge and breaks Olympia, causing Hoffman the ridicule of having loved an automaton. His shouts of "Un Automaton!" is exceptional. One can make the argument that for Offenbach, his last operetta had died with Olympia. Olympia's character, though shallow and insubstantial, can represent, if we analyze deeply, the innocent woman (Hoffman himself says in the opera she was an innocent), the shallow, trophy wife, naive young society girl who was trained in the French Second Empire 19th century to look as pretty as a doll, to entertain house guests and to have not much to say other than "Oui" "Yes!".

In Act 3, Hoffman finds himself in Venice. Here, among the company of gondoliers, merrymakers and a beautiful courtesan, Giuletta, he sings a rousing brindisi (Amis, l'amour tendre et reveur error (my friends, falling in love is a big mistake!) in which he vows never to love another woman for risk of feeling heartbreak. But Dappertuto, an evil magician, wants Hoffman's soul and makes Giuletta seduce Hoffman for his reflection. It does not take long before Hoffman serenades Giuletta with his signature love theme, "O Dieu di quelle ivresse!". Hoffman gives up his soul, and upon discovery of this, a beautiful ensemble ensues, the sextet chorus "Helas, mon couer" (Alas, my heart has once again deceived me). The opera ends with the chorus take on how it began, the Barcarolle. Giuletta abandons Hoffman and the villain wins again.

In Act 4, Hoffman follows Crespel, a violin maker, and his daugther Antonia (whom he loves) to Munich. Antonia's mother was a great opera singer, but died mysteriously of consumption after a check up from the sinister quack doctor, Miracle. Hoffman convinces Antonia not to sing again, lest she risk her own life, and they propose to elope. But Dr. Miracle makes her sing when a portrait of her mother shouts "Cher, Enfante, que j'appelle" (dear child, I call to you!). Beverly Sills takes on the moment brilliantly, as Dr. Miracle urges her to sing more dramatically with the swelling of violin chords, and Beverly shouts " Et que mon ame vole aux cieux (and my soul rises to heaven), a blazing high note that sounds like a shooting star at the end of track 21. Antonia dies. Hoffman is blamed and Dr. Miracle's baritone voice sounds its most ghastliest when he pronounces "Morte!". Finally, in the last act, Hoffman finishes his tales and has drunk himself stupid. He hallucinates about the Muse who inspires him and pledges his love for her, eventhough Stella, the woman he genuinely loved and made into all three heroines in his fiction, goes to pick him up but abandons him in the arms of the villain.

A romantic work of opera and theater that is not to be missed. This is also Beverly Sill's finest works, right along side her Three Queens and Manon. Beverly Sills' French repertoire was her favorite and the most easily vocally. It also provided her with fine acting. Five Stars well deserved. Who cares if this is not the "complete" edition. It is still highly entertaining.

Description of Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann: Complete Opera (with full libretto and translation)

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