OFFENBACH - Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Sadly Offenbach died before completing this opéra fantastique on the grotesque stories of E. T. A. Hoffmann. The original plan was for three acts – corresponding to the three loves of Hoffmann’s life – with a prologue and epilogue set in a Nuremberg tavern. As the music for the third act – that set in Venice with Giulietta, the courtesan – was never completed, performances tended to place this before the musically complete act set in Munich with Antonia. Here, Fritz Oeser’s performing edition restores Offenbach’s planned order so that we see Hoffmann descend from idyllic love (Olympia) through real love (Antonia) to bought love (Giulietta). In all his adventures Hoffmann is accompanied by his poetic muse, the male (but mezzo-soprano) role Nicklausse.

This recording was made in 1986 with Neil Shicoff as Hoffmann, Ann Murray as Nicklausse and José van Dam as the various adversaries Hoffmann encounters in each act. The three loves were sung by three sopranos much identified with their roles: Luciana Serra, Rosalind Plowright and Jessye Norman. The Chorus and Orchestra of the Brussels Opera is conducted by Sylvain Cambreling. An appendix contans those pieces omitted from the original published edition.

0946 3 58613 2 7 (3CDs)
0946 3 58613 5 8 (Digital Download)