Offenbach: Les Contes D' Hoffmann
) | Label: BEL AIR Catalog: BAC424 Format: BLU RAY Although posthumous, Les Contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) is considered Jacques Offenbach's masterpiece. Inspired by E.T.A Hoffmann's, this opéra fantastique is an ôde to art and poetry. The intrigue settles around three stories of broken love. Told by Hoffmann, narrator and hero, these tales paint a portrait of three feminine figures: Olympia the automaton, Antonia the dying opera singer and Giulietta the courtesan. This triptych allows for varied development of mise en scène and color. It’s also a declension of the images of woman and evil. Christoph Marthaler directed this creation for the Teatro Real, and was the late Gerard Mortier's last commission for this stage. Sylvain Cambreling conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Real de Madrid. A cast of very fine and notable singers includes Eric Cutler, Anne Sofie von Otter, Measha Brueggergosman and Jean-Philippe Lafont.  Price: $57.98 |