General scene

A new production of Jacques Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann just finished its round at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. The Davide Livermore production was in general badly received by the critics, but I personally must say that I didn’t dislike it at all.

The director, in team with set designer Giò Forma, costume designer Gianluca Falaschi and light designer Antonio Castro, staged the opera in a 'nowhere' scenario, in which some minimal sets just hinted at the various locations where the action develops, with the frequent use of semi-transparent curtains creating a surrounding haunted by the dancers of the company Controluce Teatro d’Ombre wrapped up so to look as unsettling maquettes.

In the second act, Hoffmann plays the piano in a concert hall in which Antonia’s lush costume blends with the black setting. Later Giulietta and Niklausse sing their duet on a background of a green waving veil where a gondola that looks like a gloomy catafalque slides under the rain.

During the whole opera Hoffmann tells about his unlucky love affairs while his double writes his tales sitting at a desk that crosses the stage. All in all, I though that the suspended atmosphere fitted well the unreal side of the plot.

The vocal cast was uneven. In the very demanding tile role, tenor Vittorio Grigolo sang generously throughout the performance, showing only some tiredness toward the end. Given his tendency to perform histrionically in the way of a pop music singer, he fitted perfectly into the production theatrically. At his side, mezzo Marina Viotti proved to be a perfect match as Niklausse, showing a light timbred and ductile voice, adaptable to the wide range of situations that came up.

Hoffmann’s lovers were interpreted by different sopranos. The best among them was certainly Eleonora Buratto, a tender yet stubborn Antonia. Federica Guida was a wild Olympia, more theatrically then vocally, while Francesca Di Sauro was a not-so-passionate Giulietta. Bass Luca Pisaroni as the four villains was a disappointment: he sang correctly but couldn’t give any character to the different roles and remained generic, leaving this important role in the background.

Conductor Frédéric Chaslin also left much to be desired, lacking the verve needed by Offenbach’s score and sharply contrasting with the director’s interpretation. Even at the last performance, the house was full; the audience showed appreciation especially for the vocal cast, with an ovation for Grigolo.