There are few operas more suited to Regietheater interpretations than Offenbach’s unfinished masterpiece, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, with its dreamy protagonist either describing or merely imagining the stories of his past loves. Bartlett Sher’s production, first seen in 2009 and revived multiple times since, has aged surprisingly well, given the shifts in sensibilities that the past two decades have brought us.
Sher’s approach makes the production as eye-catching as it was in the initial run. On the one hand, he presents the disparate stories in a clearly delineated, ABA structure, where the first and third acts are overly busy and crowded while the middle act is deliberately sparse. On the other hand, he simultaneously attempts to unite them through a series of inventive theatrical touches. Hoffmann’s writing desk – with a typewriter and unfinished manuscripts flying around – remains in the same corner throughout. Multiple non-singing characters – barely-clad dancers or pannier-wearing matrons with elaborate hairstyles – from the Venetian act insinuate themselves into Spalanzani’s laboratory, as depicted in Act I, while several variants of the Olympia-like automaton reappear in the final act, thus interweaving the narrative in a mutually reflective way.
There is a mixture of props designed by Michael Yeargan and costumes created by Catherine Zuber that date from the eighteenth century to the 1920s and make it intentionally difficult to precisely pin the stories in time, thereby underlining their universality. On top of that, references to movies – such as Fellini’s or The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari – and artworks like Domenico Tiepolo’s ‘Punchinello’ drawings or Caspar David Friedrich’s solitary trees in the Munich-based Act II – are meaningful, even if some of the contraptions, such as the moving gondola, might seem kitschy. In a production unquestionably full of dramatic flow, the bizarre, circus-like agglomeration in Spalanzani’s scientific exhibition, the eerie silhouette of Dr. Miracle’s horse-drawn carriage and the trance-like atmosphere in Giulietta’s brothel – all enhanced by James F. Ingalls’s effective lighting – convey the surreal quality inherent in Hoffmann’s fantastical stories.
On Tuesday night, the audience had the opportunity to admire Benjamin Bernheim in his New York debut as Hoffmann, a role he has recently made one of his signature parts. His performance was ideal, with glorious high notes, exquisite legatos and impeccable diction. Moreover, the tenor brought a different color, vocally and interpretively, to nearly all his interventions. He was both submissive and menacing in the ‘Kleinzach’ arias, gentle and lyrical in ‘Ah! sa figure était charmante’, desperate and furious in the Giulietta act and somewhat resigned in the Epilogue.
The trouser role of Nicklausse, Hoffmann’s companion and the Muse of Poetry, has been given a significantly increased stage presence. By having him occasionally serve as a mute assistant to the Devil in his various incarnations – handing the inventor his spectacles, the doctor his clinking little flasks and Dapertutto the seductive diamond – Sher suggests that the demonic dimension is an integral part of the creative act. In her Metropolitan Opera debut, young Russian mezzo-soprano Vasilisa Berzhanskaya began tentatively, both vocally and in her performance. However, her confidence gradually grew and, as her voice began to bloom, she showcased an expressive range that spanned from playful to compassionate and appeared less tense while performing her silent duties.
In this revival, Hoffmann’s romantic interests were unfortunately entrusted, as often happens, to three distinct singers, rather than – ideally – a single soprano, as Offenbach originally intended.
The brilliant Erin Morley returned to the role of Olympia, excelling once again in her musical, comedic and choreographic portrayal of the malfunctioning mechanical doll. Clad in a pink gown and a reddish wig that accentuated the character’s artificiality, the exceptional coloratura soprano delivered her high-flying roulades and vocal jumps with impeccable precision, all while delivering a performance that was irresistibly funny. Her rendition of ‘Les oiseaux dans la charmille’ was truly dazzling.
Appearing briefly as Stella, Hoffmann’s latest love interest, Pretty Yende lent her voluptuous voice to Antonia, the ailing young woman who was warned that singing would lead to her death. However, her portrayal was not always convincing. Dramatically, she did not fully convey the character’s fragility or the inner conflict between love and her desire for artistic expression. Vocally, she struggled to reach the higher registers of her range in certain passages, including Antonia’s signature aria, ‘Elle a fui, la tourterelle’. Transitions between smoother and more powerful segments sometimes proved challenging as well.
The compelling French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine portrayed Giulietta, the heartless Venetian courtesan, with conviction. Her firm, dark voice blended beautifully with Berzhanskaya’s velvety instrument in the barcarolle ‘Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour’ — arguably the opera’s most famous melody – though her duet with Bernheim, ‘Si ta présence m’est ravie’, was less harmonious.
All four villains were incarnated by bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, a towering stage presence with a booming voice. Playing opposite Bernheim as Hoffmann’s perpetual tormentor, as he recently did at the Salzburg Festival, Van Horn seemed indefatigable, delivering his ‘Scintille diamant’ in the Giulietta act with a voice that remained fresh and energetic. Nonetheless, one might have wished for a bit more variety in his successive disguises. After all, the Devil’s apparitions are never dull!
On the contrary, the four servants interpreted by tenor Aaron Blake could not have been more diverse. The tenor showcased his comic prowess, particularly in his portrayal of Franz, Antonia’s swirling and whimsical housekeeper. In other secondary roles, Tony Stevenson, Bradley Garvin, Eve Gigliotti and Jeongcheol Cha demonstrated their reliability.
Marco Armiliato conducted the excellent Metropolitan Orchestra and Chorus with great attention to detail, maintaining a proper balance between the voices and the solo instruments that sustained their output. His accompaniment at times sounded more dramatic and less suave than expected but, overall, he led a compelling and nuanced interpretation of the opera, revealing the score’s ability to convey, one by one, timidity, brazenness, absurdity, dismay and ridicule.
With a mise-en-scène that is sufficiently modern and not overly challenging, this version of Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann should endure for another couple of decades, provided the Met can find a similarly talented group of singers to deliver its gorgeous music as inspiringly and effectively.
Edward Sava-Segal
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Production:
Director – Bartlett Sher
Revival stage director – Gina Lapinski
Sets – Michael Yeargan
Costumes – Catherine Zuber
Lighting – James F. Ingalls
Choreographer – Dou Dou Huang
Chorus master – Tilman Michael
Cast:
Hoffmann – Benjamin Bernheim
Olympia– Erin Morley
Antonia / Stella – Pretty Yende
Giulietta – Clémentine Margaine
Lindorf / Coppélius / Dr. Miracle / Dapertutto – Christian Van Horn
Muse of Poetry / Nicklausse – Vasilisa Berzhanskaya
Andrés / Cochenille / Frantz / Pitichanaccio – Aaron Blake
Nathanaël / Spalanzani – Tony Stevenson
Luther / Crespel – Bradley Garvin
Antonia’s Mother – Eve Gigliotti
Hermann / Schlémil – Jeongcheol Cha