John Schlesinger’s production of Offenbach’s opéra fantastique was first seen in 1980. Much revived since, it remains a beguiling piece of music theatre: witty, erotic and macabre by turns, it has always formed a fine vehicle for its many casts. Overseen by Daniel Dooner, this latest outing, sadly its last, pits Vittorio Grigòlo’s Hoffmann against Thomas Hampson, who is fastidious, as always, as the multiple incarnations of his demonic nemesis. It’s a most striking pairing.
Grigòlo initially presents Hoffmann, unusually, as embittered rather than vulnerable. But as the tales, real or imagined, of his life begin to unravel and naivety gives way to desire and disillusionment, we become painfully aware of how he has become the wreck of a man that he is. Hampson dogs his steps with insidious persistence and an unsettling mixture of menace and charm: Lindorf lies low for his voice and his Coppélius could be funnier, but he is disquietingly sensual as Dappertutto and really creepy as Dr Miracle.
The women are excellent. Sofia Fomina’s Olympia, with her steely, clockwork coloratura, contrasts nicely with Christine Rice’s truly dangerous Giulietta. Sonya Yoncheva, often at her best in French music, makes a heartbreaking Antonia. Kate Lindsey is strong as Nicklausse, the voice of reason that Hoffmann all too rarely hears. In the pit, Evelino Pidò sometimes favours sweep over clarity, but is keenly alert to the work’s dramatic ambiguities and mercurial shifts of mood.
- In rep at the Royal Opera House, London, until 3 December. Box office: 020-7304 4000.
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