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In Cinemas: The Tales of Hoffmann

1519 January 2025

In Cinemas: The Tales of Hoffmann

1519 January 2025

In Cinemas: The Tales of Hoffmann

1519 January 2025

Four women: four curious love stories.

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In cinemas from Wednesday 15 January 2025, with encore screenings from Sunday 19 January 2025.

Running time
The performance lasts approximately 3 hours and 35 minutes, with two intervals
Language
Sung in French with English subtitles
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A FANTASTICAL JOURNEY THROUGH MEMORY AND LOVE

Through the haze of the years, a poet remembers the women he loved. But when it comes to matters of the heart, nothing is as it seems. Particularly when the devil himself is involved…  

Journeying back to his school days, Hoffmann relives his childhood romance with Olympia, a model student in every sense. Doomed love follows him into adulthood, where the dancer, Antonia, is taken from him too soon. Meanwhile, the sensual courtesan Giulietta has her own secret agenda. As memory and fantasy becomes increasingly blurred, will Hoffmann find the enigmatic Stella before it is too late?   

Background

Olivier award-winning director Damiano Michieletto (CarmenCavalleria 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 Barcarolle. 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.  

Full cast sheets

Dutch / Nederlands | English | French / Français | German / Deutsch / Italian / Italiano | Portuguese / Português | Spanish / Español 

Cast and Creatives

Cast
LINDORF/COPPÉLIUS/DR MIRACLE/DAPERTUTTO

Alex Esposito

NICKLAUSSE

Julie Boulianne

ANDRÈS/COCHENILLE/FRANTZ/PITICHINACCIO

Christophe Mortagne

MUSE OF POETRY/SPIRIT OF ANTONIA'S MOTHER

Christine Rice

HERMANN/SCHLEMIL

Grisha Martirosyan

CHORUS DIRECTOR

William Spaulding

CONCERT MASTER

Sergey Levitin

Creatives
SET DESIGNER

Paolo Fantin

COSTUME DESIGNER

Carla Teti

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Alessandro Carletti

CHOREOGRAPHER

Chiara Vecchi

A busy crowd is seated prior to a performance of Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House in the auditorium.

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