ENO presents Offenbach's THE TALES OF HOFFMANN at London Coliseum
The Tales of Hoffmann
Offenbach
Directed by Richard Jones
Acclaimed director Richard Jones returns to ENO with a hugely exciting, dream-like production of Offenbach’s meta-narrative recently staged at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich, which promises to be a spectacular addition to the ENO repertoire.
Three tales within a tale, Offenbach chronicles the poet and drunkard Hoffmann’s search for love. Enamoured by a mechanical doll, obsessed by a doomed young singer and thrown into the arms of a courtesan who steals his reflection, the multifaceted story follows Hoffmann’s retreat back into his art.
Award-winning director Richard Jones has a close and ongoing relationship with ENO. His previous work for ENO includes Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, the Olivier Award winning The Trojans and The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant. The Tales of Hoffmann marks the first of five new productions he will direct for ENO through to 2016. His previous work elsewhere includes the world premiere of Anna Nicole for ROH, and his TMA Award-winning Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg for WNO.
The scenery for the production is realised by set designer Giles Cadle, whose previous work includes the fantasy landscapes of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, The Crucible and Rhinoceros at the Royal Court. The creative team is complete with Lighting designer Mimi Jordan Sherin, Movement director Lucy Burge and Costume designer Buki Shiff, whose previous work with ENO includes the extravagant re-imagining of Candide, where the heroine was transformed into a blond haired, blue-eyed Marilyn Monroe. Their vision for the stage is magnificent magic realism, teetering on the edge of insanity and mirroring the imaginative nature of the plot.
American soprano Georgia Jarman makes her ENO and UK debut, singing all four of the main female roles. Hailed by the New York Times for, ‘...her luminous, appealing and agile voice,’ Jarman has recently appeared as Violetta in La traviata, Musetta in La bohème and Amenaide in Tancredi.
Tenor Barry Banks, who has recently forged a strong relationship with the Metropolitan Opera, New York, returns to ENO after his critically acclaimed performance as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor to take the role of Hoffmann.
Clive Bayley sings Lindorff/Coppelius/Dapertutto/Dr Miracle, while British singer Christine Rice, lauded for her role in Terry Gilliam’s Damnation of Faust, sings Muse/Nicklausse with Simon Butteriss as Frantz/Pittichinaccio/Cochenille and Richard Angus as Luther.
Antony Walker will conduct this sensational cast after his success in the first revival of David Alden’s Lucia di Lammermoor.
PERFORMANCES
Venue - London Coliseum
Fri 10 Feb
Fri 10 Feb
Thu 16 Feb
Sat 18th Feb
Thu 23rd Feb
Wed 29 Feb
Fri 02 Mar
Tue 06 Mar
Thu 08 Mar
Sat 10 Mar
All performances at 7pm
www.eno.org
Sat 18th Feb
Thu 23rd Feb
Wed 29 Feb
Fri 02 Mar
Tue 06 Mar
Thu 08 Mar
Sat 10 Mar
All performances at 7pm
www.eno.org
Labels
Opera