Les contes d'Hoffmann by Offenbach, dim. 01 déc. 2024, Du (2024/2024), Dirigé par Damiano Michieletto, Chef d'orchestre Antonello Manacorda, Royal Opera House, Londres, Royaume-Uni

Olivier award-winning director Damiano Michieletto (Carmen, Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci) returns to The Royal Opera for a new production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. Conductor Antonello Manacorda, with whom Michieletto previously collaborated on Carmen, leads Juan Diego Flórez and Leonardo Caimi, who share the role of the poet E.T.A. Hoffmann, Alex Esposito as the Four Villains, Julie Boulianne as Nicklausse and Ermonela Jaho, Olga Pudova and Marina Costa-Jackson as Hoffmann’s unforgettable trio of lovers. POPULAR TUNES Offenbach's best-known musical work may be the 'can-can', but The Tales of Hoffmann has its own fair share of popular tunes, including the lilting Bacarolle. Traditionally sung by Venetian gondoliers, Offenbach's take, ‘Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour’ (Beautiful night, oh night of love), is a duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano, featuring the courtesan, Giulietta, and Hoffmann’s loyal companion, Nicklausse. Olympia’s Song is a dazzling showcase for the soprano voice at its most acrobatic. In the original opera libretto, she is a living doll who runs out of power part-way through her song, and requires ‘winding up’ to resume her performance.