Stars: Jose Van Dam, Jacques Verzier, Natalie Dessay, Brigitte Balleys, Lyon Opera Chorus, Lyon Opera Orchestra

Director: Louis Erlo

Summary: A production of Offenbach's opera where Hoffmann tells stories to his inmates in an asylum.

The story of the poet Hoffmann and his descent into insanity and drunkenness, performed by the Lyon National Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Conceived by the Opera National de Lyon and inspired by Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffman, it was the highlight of the inaugural week of Jean Nouvel's new opera house.

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Unfortunately the qualities that make Jacques Offenbach's operetta The Tales of Hoffmannan irresistible melodic profusion of wit, dash and unfailing high spirits are only in evidence in the playing of the Lyon Opera Orchestra under Kent Nagano: operetta, more than its serious cousin, continues to be fair game for the whims of producers and designers. In this case an excellent cast including Daniel Galvez-Vallejo as Hoffmann, Natalie Dessay as Olympia, Brigitte Balley as Nicklausse and Isabelle Vernet as Giulietta, as well as Gabriel Bacquier who sings three roles, are obliged to perform Offenbach's operetta in a lunatic asylum designed by Philippe Starck as a three-dimensional grey set, topped with barbed wire. The production by Louis Erlo adapts and cuts scenes to fit this concept, so the tavern scene where Hoffmann sings his celebrated number "The Legend of Kleinzack" disappears, as do the chorus who are banished to the wings. In this environment there's no room for charm or even a kind of mad-hatter behaviour. The cast are reduced to stereotypes and of necessity singularly unlovable ones. What a wasted opportunity. The sound is excellent as it is on two fillers: a short film of Penderecki conducting his choral work, The Seven Gates to Jerusalemfrom the Midem festival at Cannes and a trailer for a Lyon Opera House production of Berlioz's Damnation of Faust. --Adrian Edwards

Aspect Ratio:	4:3
Main Language:	French
Region:	Region 2
Subtitles:	English, French, German, Spanish
Year:	1993
Release Date:	June 4, 2001
Runtime:	120 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	100 190
Keywords:	Tales, National, Music, Opera, Works, Jacques, Contes, Stage, Classical, Offenbach, Performing, Operetta, Des, Arts, Hoffmann, D'hoffmann, Lyon
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts