Hoffmann's stories
| Work data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Hoffmann's stories |
| Original title: | Les contes d'Hoffmann |
Jean-Alexandre Talazac as Hoffmann in the world premiere in 1881 |
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| Original language: | French |
| Music: | Jacques Offenbach |
| Libretto : | Jules Barber |
| Literary source: | ETA Hoffmann |
| Premiere: | February 10, 1881 |
| Place of premiere: | Opéra-Comique , Paris |
| Playing time: | between 2 ½ and 3 ½ hours, depending on which version is played |
| Place and time of the action: | Germany and Italy around 1800 |
| people | |
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Hoffmanns Erzählungen (French original title: Les contes d'Hoffmann ) is a fantastic opera in 5 acts (previously: in 3 acts, a prelude and an episode ) by Jacques Offenbach . The libretto was based on a piece written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré and premiered in 1851, which is based on various stories by ETA Hoffmann , such as Der Sandmann , Rat Krespel and The Adventures of New Year's Eve .
From this play, Jules Barbier developed the opera libretto at Jacques Offenbach's request. Hoffmann is the hero of the stories in the opera - in contrast to Hoffmann's literary works, in which the male heroes have different names or are fictional first-person narrators .
Les contes d'Hoffmann was premiered on February 10, 1881 at the Opéra-Comique Paris. The playing time is between 2½ and 3½ hours depending on the version / arrangement.
Work description
Les contes d'Hoffmann does not have an overture in the strict sense of the word. The opera begins with a few bars of introductory music, the theme of which is not repeated throughout the opera, and ends directly in the first act, in which the muse informs the listener that she intends to distract Hoffmann from his unhappy love life and attributed to literature.
This explanatory first act is followed by the three middle acts with Hoffmann's stories that are independent of each other. The common thread here is the compositional trick of having the protagonists of the stories sing by the same interpreters (Hoffmann's four lovers, the four adversaries and the four servant roles). The opera ends with the fifth act, which follows the first. Here Hoffmann reflects on art and surrenders to the muse.
plot
After the first act, the opera mainly draws on three stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Der Sandmann , Rat Krespel and The Story of the Lost Mirror Image . The protagonists of these stories, namely Nathanael, the composer B. and Erasmus Spikher are identified in the opera with the person of E. T. A. Hoffmann. For the table of contents, compare the genesis of the various versions.
First act (in some editions: prologue)
The Lutter & Wegner wine bar . Together with the spirits of wine and beer, the muse celebrates the power of alcohol. Because she is afraid of losing the poet ETA Hoffmann to the power of love and the singer Stella, she transforms into Nicklausse so as not to leave the poet's side during his love adventures. (This framework plot, which prepares the apotheosis, is still included in the censorship libretto, but is partially or completely deleted in most of the later versions). While Hoffmann is drinking with students in the wine tavern in order to forget his grief over the unpredictable moods of his lover (ex-lover?), The singer Stella, she appears in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni as Donna Anna. Hoffmann's rival, the personified Teufel City Councilor Lindorf , is also targeting the beautiful singer . He buys a love letter from Stella's messenger addressed to Hoffmann. There is also a key to her wardrobe inside. Meanwhile, the students ask Hoffmann to sing the rat song. Hoffmann refuses, however, and offers to sing the song by Kleinzack (actually: Klein Zaches from the fairy tale of the same name ). Hoffmann begins and in the third stanza loses himself in a dream world. Because when it comes to the facial features of Kleininzack - “quant aux traits de sa figure” - he suddenly sees those of his Stella and falls into a passionate rave about it. The students, frightened by the turn of the song, bring him back to the present so that he can complete Kleinzack's ballad . As a result of this incident, the conversation turns to the numerous unhappy love affairs that Hoffmann has already lived through. Since the performance of Don Giovanni is going on for a long time, Hoffmann begins to tell. The scene changes to the second act:
Second act (Olympia)
The story about his great love Olympia, presented in the second act, is based on Hoffmann's story The Sandman from the Night Pieces , which Léo Delibes also used as the basis for his ballet Coppélia .
In the house of Spalanzanis. As a life-size, adorable-looking mechanical doll, Olympia is an almost perfect creation of the physicist Spalanzani . Only Spalanzani could not give her the eyes, he had to buy them from the mysterious Coppelius, to whom he still owes the purchase price. Hoffmann visits Spalanzani to meet his famous daughter Olympia. He meets Coppelius, who immediately sells Hoffmann glasses from his peculiar optical range that make everything he sees appear in an ideal light ( "Trio des yeux" (Augenterzett), which was crossed out at the premiere and replaced by dialogue text, later through a recitative and since the groundbreaking performance of the Opéra de Monte Carlo in 1904 it has been replaced by the aria “J'ai des vrais yeux, des beaux yeux” .). When Coppelius demands the purchase price for Olympia's eyes from Spalanzani, the latter pays him off with a bill . Hoffmann looks at Olympia through Coppelius' glasses, does not recognize that she is a doll, and falls in love with her. Nicklausse tries in vain to open his eyes. Spalanzani has invited a company of bizarre guests to whom he would like to introduce the Olympics. The song she intoned "Les oiseaux dans la charmille" ( "The birds in the arcade" ) not only has a stupid text and sounds like it is being performed mechanically, but is also interrupted twice because the doll has to be rewound. Hoffmann, however, does not notice anything: he passionately confesses his love to her in a romance, which she only returns with an occasional “yes, yes”. He dances a waltz with her that gets faster and faster and completely exhausts him, whereupon she leaves the room completely disturbed or rather disturbed. In the meantime, Coppelius has returned furious, because the bill issued by Spalanzani has burst. In revenge, Coppelius destroys the doll Olympia. In the hustle and bustle of excitement, the shaken Hoffmann and Nicklausse flee the place.
Third Act (Antonia) (in the editions of Choudens: Third Tale)
The story about the love for Antonia is based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's novella Rat Krespel from the first volume of the Serapion Brothers .
In the house of Crespels in Munich (in the version of the world premiere: in Venice). Antonia is the daughter of Councilor Crespel, whose wife died because she suffered from a rare disease caused by singing. Crespel sees with concern that the music-loving, singing talented Antonia could suffer the same fate. Hoffmann has won Antonia's heart, and she is ready to forego a career as a singer for the sake of love. This displeases the ghostly Doctor Mirakel, who had already cured Antonia's mother to death. It causes Antonia to fall into the illusion that her mother is speaking to her from the beyond and inviting her to sing (aria "Ma mère, ma mère, son âme m'appelle" - "My mother, her soul calls me" ) . After all, Antonia cannot help it and follows the invitation to hear what her death means. Rat Crespel, Hoffmann and Nicklausse find Antonia, who says goodbye to her father and explains to him that her mother would call them. Hoffmann calls for a doctor, whereupon Doctor Mirakel arrives and announces her death.
Fourth act (Giulietta) (in the editions of Choudens: Second Tale)
The description of the encounter with the courtesan Giulietta is based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Story of the Lost Mirror Image from The Adventures of New Year's Eve . The figure of Pitichinaccio, Giulietta's servant, comes from Hoffmann's novella Signor Formica , a story about the painter Salvator Rosa . Hoffmann's rival Schlemihl, on the other hand, who has lost his shadow, goes back to Adelbert von Chamisso's Peter Schlemihl . Offenbach moved the scene from Florence to Venice for the Barcarole . The barcarole (of which there is also an instrumental version) and the subsequent drinking song Hoffmann took from the composer from his opera Die Rheinnixen (French: Les fées du Rhin ). There are two versions of this act, which was deleted shortly before the premiere (the second, so-called Choudens version, with two variants).
Version of the censorship libretto: For that of the censorship libretto, in which the act was still included, the music intended by Offenbach is now almost complete.
A palazzo in Venice . Nicklausse, Giulietta and their guests sing about the night and love to the sound of a barcarole ( Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour ( Schöne Nacht, du Liebesnacht )). Supposedly cured by love, Hoffmann, on the other hand, celebrates the enjoyment of wine in a drinking song. Schlemihl appears, jealous of all who seek Giulietta's proximity. To prevent the situation from escalating, Giulietta persuades Schlemihl and her guests to play the Pharo card game . After a moment's hesitation, Hoffmann also follows, once more sworn by Nicklausse not to fall in love again. At that moment Dapertutto appears. He owns a diamond whose sparkle gives him power over women. ( Tour, tour, miroir ). Giulietta joins them and is immediately fascinated by the diamond. Dapertutto promises her if she acquires Hoffmann's reflection for him, just as she had already got Schlemihl's shadow for him. Schlemihl has now robbed Hoffmann of all of his money at the card game. Dapertutto shows Schlemihl that he has lost his shadow. Now Hoffmann comes and demands revenge from Schlemihl. While Hoffmann and Schlemihl play cards again, Giulietta celebrates Amor's power ( L'amour lui dit ). Gradually charmed by Giulietta, Hoffmann gives Nicklausse his cards. In order to get into Giulietta's chamber, Hoffmann Schlemihl has to take the key. The sounds of the barcarole spur Hoffmann on. He challenges Schlemihl to a duel. Because he doesn't have a sword himself, Dapertutto lends him his. During the duel, Hoffmann realizes that Schlemihl is not casting a shadow. He finally manages to stab the rival and get the key to Giulietta's chamber. Hoffmann has to flee, he meets Giulietta. In passionate love he leaves her his reflection in the mirror (romance of Hoffmann Ô Dieu! De quelle ivresse and duet). Nicklausse arrives and finally persuades Hoffmann to flee. Without his reflection, Giulietta makes Hoffmann the mockery of her guests. Out of anger, Hoffmann stabs Giulietta's misshapen servant Pitichinaccio, the only man the courtesan has ever loved.
Version of the Giulietta act in those editions of Choudens in which it is included: This act was deleted at the premiere, but it was restituted in 1881 in a supplement to the libretto of the premiere and a piano reduction newly edited by Choudens. In all editions of Choudens that contain this act, it then appeared (deviating from Offenbach and Barbier's original dramaturgy) as Hoffmann's second story between the Olympia and Antonia acts. In addition, the plot of the act has been changed and shortened: After the Barcarole and Hoffmann's drinking song, everyone goes to the Pharo game. Dapertutto conjures up the power of his diamond (1881 still in the original aria Tourne, tourne, miroir, in the 5th edition 1907 in a new aria Scintille, diamond ). Giulietta absolutely wants to own the diamond and promises Dapertutto Hoffmann's reflection in return. She acquired it in the following passionate duet with the poet. Schlemihl arrives and challenges Hoffmann to a duel. (In the 5th edition of 1907 there is now a septet in which the protagonists express their thoughts on their current situation.) To the sound of the barcarole, Dapertutto gives Hoffmann his sword for the duel with which Hoffmann stabs Schlemihl. At the same time, Dapertutto persuaded Giulietta to take him and her servant Pitichinaccio away in a gondola. Hoffmann and Nicklausse, however, have to flee from the police.
Fifth act (in some editions: epilogue)
Lutter & Wegner's pub as it was at the end of the first act. There are also several versions of this act.
In the text version of the censorship libretto, the students sing a melancholy song about love. (It is the only known original number by Offenbach from this act, apart from the apotheosis, which had probably already been discarded by the composer himself for the premiere at the Opéra-Comique). Hoffmann is drunk. The performance of Don Giovanni is over and when Stella appears, Hoffmann rejects her. (In the censorship libretto this happens in dialogue, in the world premiere in the duet moved here from the Giulietta act.) Nicklausse (the muse) triumphs: He's mine. Before Lindorf can walk away with Stella, Hoffmann mocks him with a last stanza of the song about the Kleinzack. In the world premiere, the students' drinking song from the first act was repeated.
After the underlying drama and Offenbach's original conception as tragédie lyrique, Hoffmann's apotheosis through the muse follows at the end .
Creation and processing
The set of works Les contes d'Hoffmann as it is presented today was created in five phases. Offenbach was only involved in the first two.
1st phase: Offenbach had been planning to set the drama by Barbier and Carré to music since the beginning of the 1870s. In 1876 he agreed with the impresario Albert Vizentini to compose the piece as an opera with recitatives for the Théâtre-Lyrique operated by Vizentini . The baritone Jacques-Joseph-André Bouhy was intended for the main role . As a result of Vizentini's bankruptcy in 1878, Offenbach was forced to look for a new opportunity to premiere. To this end, he organized a concert in his house on May 18, 1879 with 300 (!) Invited guests, at which he had ten or eleven numbers of the opera completed by then performed with piano and harmonium accompaniment. According to the original conception as a drame lyrique, i.e. a sublime allegorical play with music, the piece should end with an apotheosis .
Phase 2: With the house concert, Offenbach was able to convey the piece on two stages, namely at the world premiere at the Opéra-Comique and at the German-language premiere at the Vienna Ringtheater . For the first performance, what was previously available had to be reworked for the first time. Hoffmann became a tenor role, almost all of the recitatives were converted back into prose dialogues and no new ones were composed (for the Vienna version, however, recitatives were again provided). When Offenbach died on the night of October 5, 1880, he had essentially sketched the first four acts; H. The vocal part is noted on the sheet music prepared for the handwritten score and the piano accompaniment on the two lower staves. He initially left the remaining staves on each sheet free for the orchestral instruments. Due to the partly very similar manuscripts, it cannot be clarified with certainty to what extent the instrumentation was then supplemented by Offenbach himself, by Guiraud or by copyists.
3rd phase: After Offenbach's death, Offenbach's widow and the director of the Opéra-Comique commissioned Léon Carvalho to create a performable score from the material left by Offenbach , the composer Ernest Guiraud . It was likely agreed that Guiraud should not recompose any more numbers. How Offenbach had designed the last act cannot be determined from the sources known so far. The only piece of this act currently composed by Offenbach is the a cappella choir of the students at the beginning. He may not have been clear about the end (with or without apotheosis) himself. From the censorship libretto submitted on January 5, 1881, it emerges that in the fifth act, after the chorus and a longer dialogue, only one stanza of the song by Klein-Zack should follow. In addition, the role of muse had already been separated from that of Nicklausse at this point. It does not appear again at the end of the censorship libretto. After the dress rehearsal on February 1st, another important change was made for reasons that have not yet been clarified: the Giulietta act was deleted, the Barcarole came into the Antonia act (the location of which was therefore moved from Munich to Venice) and the duet Hoffmann-Giulietta in the final act as a duet Hoffmann-Stella. Barbier, who was present at the rehearsals, wrote new texts for both song numbers. As a result, two important numbers composed by Offenbach himself disappeared from the opera for more than a century, namely the aria of Giulietta and the finale. They were only rediscovered in 1984 and 1998, respectively. The world premiere finally took place on February 10, 1881. The version of the premiere formed the basis of the 1st edition of the score and piano reduction by Choudens and also the German-language premiere at the Vienna Ringtheater. Guiraud, known as a slow worker, was unable to complete the recitatives originally intended for this in time.
4th phase: By deleting the Giulietta act, the version of the premiere had to appear as a torso. Soon after the premiere, Guiraud and Barbier restituted the Giulietta act in a modified version (see table of contents), which Choudens published in the 2nd (French-language) edition in 1881 or in early 1882. In addition, Guiraud completed the recitatives that Choudens first included in the German-Italian piano reduction (the 1st edition of which can also be dated 1881/82) and which were only later (after 1886) integrated into the 4th edition of the French-language piano reduction. Since the dialogue keywords are also given here, it can be assumed that the opera was given both in the recitative and in the dialogue version at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. In the 5th edition in 1907, the Giulietta act was revised again: the aria Tourne, tourne, miroir was transferred to the Olympia act with new text, and Dapertutto received a new aria in its place, the famous mirror aria. It is based on a motif by Offenbach from the overture of La Voyage dans la lune . In addition, a large contemplative ensemble, the so-called septet (actually a sextet with a choir) was added. As arranger of these two numbers that helped the opera to extraordinary popularity, applies André Bloch .
5th phase: The version fixed in the 5th edition by Choudens became binding for performances of the opera well into the second half of the 20th century, especially since it was the basis of the German version published by Gustav Kogel around 1910 by the CF Peters publishing house formed. Since then, however, there have been repeated attempts to bring the opera closer to the version that Offenbach left behind (the question of which version Offenbach wanted only leads to sterile speculations and speculations). Hans Haug and Otto Maag presented a first “revisionist” edition in 1953, in which the Giulietta act was given again after the Antonia act and Nicklausse was identified with the muse again (Theaterverlag Reiss AG, Basel). Walter Felsenstein and Karl-Fritz Voigtmann worked out a version that was similar in result for his very successful production at the Komische Oper Berlin in 1958. When Fritz Oeser published his new edition in 1977 ( Bärenreiter-Verlag , Kassel), he was able to look at 1250 manuscript pages from different Support the phases of the opera that Offenbach expert Antonio de Almeida had compiled. However, he also made far-reaching changes and additions, the source of which he gives, if at all, only in the Critical Report, which is very difficult to obtain. He was not yet able to know the recently rediscovered autographs of the Giulietta act while they were being edited.
Newer research status
A final score authorized by Offenbach is not available, but there are numerous manuscript pages with variants. Since Offenbach's manuscripts were scattered among the heirs and some of them repeatedly gave away or sold individual parts of the autograph to friends and collectors, it remains unclear how far Offenbach's composition had progressed. On many sheets of paper there are also obvious entries by someone else's hand (by Guiraud, by copyists, by engravers, etc.), because Offenbach sometimes only sketched the singing and piano parts, as mentioned. Some of the manuscripts are in various Paris archives ( Bibliothèque nationale de France , Bibliothèque de l'Opéra , but also in private ownership) as well as in the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York and the beincke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. In 1998, Jean-Christophe Keck managed to acquire the final of the Giulietta act at a Paris auction.
The Schott-Verlag Mainz is currently the theaters an output on the basis of all known sources available (usually as Kaye Keck version called). This edition is a merger of the Paris collections managed by Jean-Christophe Keck and the sources of the Pierpont Morgan Library managed by Michael Kaye. The drafts of Offenbach that differ from the premiere version and later numbers added by other composers are also taken into account. On the basis of this edition, the theaters can work out a version that corresponds to their conception. For the publication of this material one should not expect an authentic version of the opera (which does not exist) than a compilation of all handwritten and printed sources that make it possible to understand the various layers and phases of the work.
There are recordings of the different versions: the older Guiraud version, for example, directed by André Cluytens , the Felsenstein adaptation as a film, the Oeser version directed by Sylvain Cambreling and the Kaye version based on the more recent research by Jeffrey Tate and Kent Nagano . In the case of the latter three recordings, the work analyzes in the supplements are worth reading.
To the music
Instrumentation
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : 2 flutes (2nd also piccolo ), 2 oboes , 2 clarinets , 2 bassoons
- Brass : 4 horns , 2 trumpets , 3 trombones
- Timpani , percussion ( bass drum , cymbals , triangle , in the posthumous mirror aria: bells in b '' and e '' ')
- harp
- Strings
- Incidental music: flute, clarinet (from orchestra), harp (or piano or clavecin )
layout
The fact that Offenbach conceived the work at least for the premiere as an opéra-comique , i.e. as a number opera with spoken dialogues, shows the fact that most of the solo pieces are couplets , i.e. arias in stanza form with a refrain , sometimes with a parodic touch like the aria of the Olympia No. 9 or Franz No. 14. On the other hand, there are contrasting moments of expressive drama, such as the mood change illustrated in a few bars in the song by Kleinzack, the finale of the Antonia act or the kaleidoscopic changes in mood and gaze in the Giulietta act. The exciting juxtaposition and juxtaposition of caricaturing-comic and expressive-tragic elements is characteristic of Offenbach's music - corresponding to E. T. A. Hoffmann's narrative and storytelling art.
Performance history
Even when planning the premiere of the opera Hoffmanns Erzählungen in February 1881 in Paris, there were concerns that the piece would be too long. This was probably one of the reasons that the Giulietta act was simply deleted. But since they did not want to do without the popular Barcarole - which Offenbach had taken from his earlier romantic opera Les fées du Rhin - this was incorporated into the Antonia act. Because of this piece of music, the act in this version did not play in Munich, but in Venice.
The septet and the demonic diamond aria `` Scintille diamond '', the melody of which is based on the overture to Offenbach's operetta Die Reise auf den Mond (based on Jules Verne ), was heard for the first time in the 1904 performance of Monte Carlo . Because of its popularity, the aria is mostly performed in this version even today, although since the rediscovery of the original manuscripts, two versions of Offenbach have been available in couplet form; this common practice is problematic with regard to the musical dramaturgy, since the theme of the original mirror aria "Tourne, tourne, miroir" appears as the main theme in the recitative before the finale of the Giulietta act when Hoffmann loses his reflection.
Both at the Opéra-Comique and at the Wiener Ringtheater there were devastating theatrical fires during or before a performance of Hoffmann's stories . Rumors circulated that in a work in which the devil does his demonic craft in every scene, it would be no wonder if such disasters occurred. That is why the opera was rarely played until the middle of the 20th century. The fact that the National Socialist regime boycotted Offenbach's music because of its Jewish origins also contributed to this.
Since around 1960, however, Les contes d'Hoffmann has been one of the most frequently performed operas in the repertoire, not least because the piece appears very modern due to the workshop character with the open ending and invites new interpretations and scenic implementations. In terms of the popularity of the operas and the frequency of its performances, this opera ranks between 20 and 25.
In 2007 alone there were performances in German-speaking countries at the theaters in Annaberg / Buchholz , Komische Oper Berlin , Bremen , Flensburg , Hagen / Detmold , Hanover , Kassel , Regensburg , Stralsund (Festival), Vienna (State Opera and Volksoper ), Plauen / Zwickau can be seen in their own productions.
A staging of the opera by Olivier Py , which was performed at the Grand Théâtre de Genève in 2008, caused a particular stir . Because of its freedom of movement, the production was perceived as a provocation. (Choir of the Grand Théâtre de Genève and the Orpheus Choir Sofia under the direction of Chieng-Lien Wu and Krum Maximov; Orchester de la Suisse Romande - conductor Patrick Davin. ETA Hoffmann's role is sung by Marc Laho, his muse is Stella Doufexis. )
Discography (selection)
Guiraud version
-
1947: Complete recording in English [London / Decca]
The Sadler's Wells Chorus & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , conductors: Sir Thomas Beecham
Robert Rounseville (Hoffmann), Dorothy Bond (Olympia), Margherita Grandi (Giulietta), Ann Ayars (Antonia) -
1948: Complete recording in French [Columbia / EMI]
Chœurs & Orchester du Théâtre National de l ' Opéra-Comique , conductors: André Cluytens
Raoul Jobin (Hoffmann), Renée Doria (Olympia), Vina Bovy (Giulietta), Géori Boué ( Antonia) -
1950: Complete recording in German language [radio recording / Line Music]
Kölner Rundfunkchor & Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, conductors: Eugen Szenkar
Rudolf Schock (Hoffmann), Wilma Lipp (Olympia), Martha Mödl (Giulietta), Elfride Trötschel (Antonia) -
1958: Complete recording in German [Musical Masterpiece Society]
Choir & Sinfonie-Orchester Radio Frankfurt, Dir .: Pierre-Michel LeConte
David Garen (Hoffmann), Mattiwilda Dobbs (Olympia), Lotte Laufer (Giulietta), Uta Graf (Antonia) -
1958: Complete recording in French [Guilde International du Disque / Urania]
Chœurs & Orchester des Concerts de Paris, conductors: Pierre-Michel LeConte
Léopold Simoneau (Hoffmann), Mattiwilda Dobbs (Olympia), Uta Graf (Giulietta), Mattiwilda Dobbs ( Antonia) -
1964: Cross-section in German [Deutsche Grammophon]
RIAS Chamber Choir, Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, conductors: Richard Kraus
Sándor Kónya (Hoffmann), Mattiwilda Dobbs (Olympia), Gladys Kuchta (Giulietta), Hedi Klug (Antonia) -
1965: Complete recording in French [His Masters Voice / EMI]
Chœurs René Duclos & Orchester de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, conductors: André Cluytens
Nicolai Gedda (Hoffmann), Gianna d'Angelo (Olympia), Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Giulietta) , Victoria de los Ángeles (Antonia) -
1972: Complete recording in French [London / Decca]
Chœurs de la Radio de la Suisse Romande & Orchester de la Suisse Romande, conductors: Richard Bonynge
Plácido Domingo (Hoffmann), Joan Sutherland (Olympia, Giulietta, Antonia) -
1972: Complete recording in French [ABC Records / Westminster]
John Alldis Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra, cond .: Julius Rudel
Stuart Burrows (Hoffmann), Beverly Sills (Olympia, Giulietta, Antonia) -
1979: Complete recording in German [EMI]
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks & Münchner Rundfunkorchester, conductors: Heinz Wallberg
Siegfried Jerusalem (Hoffmann), Jeanette Scovotti (Olympia), Norma Sharp (Giulietta), Julia Varady (Antonia)
Oeser version
-
1988: Complete recording in French [EMI]
Chœurs & Orchester Symphonique de l'Opéra National du Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie, Bruxelles, Dir .: Sylvain Cambreling
Neil Shicoff (Hoffmann), Luciana Serra (Olympia), Rosalind Plowright (Antonia), Jessye Norman (Giulietta)
Kaye version
-
1989: Complete recording in French [Philips]
Rundfunkchor Leipzig & Staatskapelle Dresden, conductors: Jeffrey Tate
Francisco Araiza (Hoffmann), Eva Lind (Olympia), Jessye Norman (Antonia), Cheryl Studer (Giulietta) -
1996: Complete recording in French [Erato]
Chœur & Orchester de l'Opéra National de Lyon, Conductors: Kent Nagano
Roberto Alagna (Hoffmann), Natalie Dessay (Olympia), Leontina Văduva (Antonia), Sumi Jo (Giulietta)
Film adaptations
- Hoffmanns Erzählungen , 1916, Lothar Stark-Film (Director: Richard Oswald ; with Erich Kaiser-Titz and Werner Krauss )
- Hoffmann's Tales , April 6, 1923 (premiere at the Schwarzenbergkino in Vienna), Vita-Film (director: Max Neufeld ; with Friedrich Fehér )
- Hoffmanns Erzählungen , 1951, London Film (directors: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger , musical direction: Thomas Beecham )
- Hoffmanns Erzählungen , 1970, DEFA, DFF (directors: Walter Felsenstein and Georg F. Mielke ; with Hanns Nocker as Hoffmann, Melitta Muszely as Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta and Stella, Rudolf Asmus , Vladimír Bauer , Werner Enders ).
literature
- P. Walter Jacob : Jacques Offenbach. In self-testimonials and picture documents. (= Rowohlt's monographs. Vol. 155, ISSN 0485-5256 ). Rowohlt-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Reinbek near Hamburg 1969.
- Attila Csampai , Dietmar Holland (ed.): Jacques Offenbach. Hoffmann's stories. Texts, materials, comments (= Rororo 7642 Rororo opera book ). Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1984, ISBN 3-499-17642-4 .
- Gabriele Brandstetter (Ed.): Jacques Offenbach's Hoffmanns stories. Concept, reception, documentation (= Thurnauer Schriften zum Musiktheater. Vol. 9). Laaber-Verlag, Laaber 1988, ISBN 3-89007-115-5 .
- Arne Langer: The opening production of the Komische Oper Berlin (1905) in the context of the edition and performance history of Hoffmann's stories in German-speaking countries. In: Rainer Franke (Ed.): Offenbach and the scenes of his music theater (= Thurnauer Schriften zum Musiktheater. Vol. 17). Laaber-Verlag, Laaber 1999, ISBN 3-89007-411-1 , pp. 215-256.
- Michael Kaye, Robert Didion in: Les Contes d'Hoffmann. Program booklet of the Hamburg State Opera. 1999.
- Peter Hawig: Hoffmann's stories by Jacques Offenbach. Legends, mishaps and fortunes of an opera (= Bad Emser Hefte. No. 232, ISSN 1436-459X ). Association for History, Monument and Land Preservation e. V., Bad Ems 2003.
- Jacques Offenbach: Les contes d'Hoffmann. = Hoffmann's stories. Fantastic opera in five acts (= Reclams Universal Library. No. 18329). Text book French, German. Libretto based on the drama of the same name by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. Translated and edited by Josef Heinzelmann . Reclam, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-15-018329-4 .
Web links
- Les contes d'Hoffmann : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Plot and libretto from fr on Opera-Guide landing page due to URL change currently unavailable
- Reviews of most of the European productions since 2007 have appeared on page [1] . A preview of upcoming performances can be found at www.myway.de/hoffmann/aktuell.html .
- AudioVideo: Elīna Garanča (mezzo-soprano) and Anna Netrebko (soprano) sing the Barcarole (recording of a recording by Deutsche Grammophon)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The aria "J'ai des vrais yeux, des beaux yeux" originally came from the Giulietta act and was replaced by the so-called mirror aria in the course of the revision by Raoul Gunsbourg and others for Monte Carlo . In his edition, Oeser restored the original trio in the Olympia act and Offenbach's E-flat minor chanson of Dapertutto in the Giulietta act.
- ↑ See: Robert Didion: À la recherche des Contes perdus. On the source problem of Offenbach Opera. In: Gabriele Brandstetter (Ed.): Jacques Offenbach's Hoffmanns Erzählungen. 1988, pp. 131-292; and Egon Voss : Les Contes d'Hoffmann after 1881. A contribution to the history of performance, publication and reception. In: Gabriele Brandstetter (ed.): Jacques Offenbach's Hoffmanns Erzählungen. 1988, pp. 341-362.
- ^ Antonio de Almeida, in the supplement to his recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra , Philips 1987
- ^ Hoffmanns Erzählungen - Fantastic Opera in 5 Acts by Jacques Offenbach. 3sat.de , accessed on October 7, 2012 .
- ↑ Jacques Offenbach, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Gladys Kuchta, Hedi Klug, Cvetka Ahlin, Sándor Kónya - Hoffmann's stories (cross-section) at Discogs .