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| Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann – Dorothee Bienert, Jason Kim – Oldenburgisches Staatstheater |
Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann: Jason Kim, Dorothee Bienert, Penelope Kendros, Adréana Kraschewski, Raffaela Lintl, Eleonora Fabrizi, Seungweon Lee, dir: Angela Denoke; cond: Vito Cristofaro; Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Oldenburg, Germany
Reviewed 4 Might 2025
A manufacturing that actually punched above its weight, Angela Denoke & Vito Cristofaro get a lot proper, with an ardent Hoffmann from Jason Kim
Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann is such a minefield that there are a lot of methods a director can fall foul. It’s actually not a kind of works that performs itself. Even past the editorial nightmare that the work represents [see my article ‘A fascinating conundrum’], there may be the truth that Offenbach habitually over wrote, creating an excessive amount of materials and reducing and shaping on the final minute. So, if we’ve got a musically passable version (a giant ask within the first place), we then should create a satisfying dramatic construction.
We caught The Tales of Hoffmann on the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater partly as a result of our vacation itinerary enabled us too. It came about within the Oldenburg State Theatre, in-built 1893 because the Grand Ducal Court docket Theatre and most just lately renovated in 1998. It’s a small, however completely fashioned constructing seating one thing over 500. However the efficiency was certainly a welcome deal with with a certain hand each when it comes to route and conducting.
The manufacturing debuted on 26 April 2025 and we caught the efficiency on 4 Might 2025. The director was Angela Denoke, the soprano who has just lately added route to her credit, and the conductor was Vito Cristofaro. Jason Kim was Hoffmann with Dorothee Bienert as Niklausse/Muse, Penelope Kendros as Olympia, Adréana Kraschewski as Giulietta, Raffaela Lintl as Antonia, Eleonora Fabrizi as Stella, Seungweon Lee because the 4 villains, Seumas Beggg because the 4 comedian tenor roles, Arthur Bruce as Schlemihl, Johannes Leander Maaas as Spalanzani and Nathanael, Irakli Atanelishbili as Lutter and Crespel. Designs have been by Susana Mendoza with choreography by Fabio Toraldo.
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| Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann – Jason Kim, Penelope Kendros, Dorothee Bienert, Seungweon Lee – Oldenburgisches Staatstheater |
The programme ebook was obscure as to precisely what we have been listening to although Schott’s (publishers of the latest version from Kaye & Keck) have been credited and certainly textually this was some of the passable variations that I’ve seen in a very long time with a particularly convincing Giuilietta act. There have been discreet cuts, we received quite much less of the scholars (fortunately) than traditional. However the excellent Niklausse/Muse of Dorothee Bienert benefited from an expansive model of her position.
Within the pit, Vito Cristofaro drew keen taking part in from the orchestra and he had a certain hand with the music. The opera comique Offenbach was to the fore and this efficiency had admirable tempo allied to litheness and liveliness. There was no grand opera portentousness so the work by no means sagged.
Susanna Mendoza’s designs have been largely trendy with a easy but efficient set. However costuming was admirably lavish and there was a captivating golden age Hollywood contact to the feminine costumes. Dorothee Bienert’s Niklausse/Muse was Katherine Hepburn-like with a superbly tailor-made go well with, while Penelope Kendros’ Olympia resembled Marilyn Monroe in Gents Favor Blondes, and Adreana Kraschewsk’s Giulietta hinted at Rita Hayworth’s Gilda
Denoke refocused the plot on Hoffmann and Niklausse’s relationship, Niklausse being a she and Hoffmann taking his time to find her love. The scholars have been extra like a disturbing males’s consuming membership. Olympia was one thing of a intercourse image who broke freed from the mould, while within the Giulietta act, Niklausse had a Sapphic flirtation with Giulietta. All changes helped to unravel issues inherent within the opera’s dramaturgy.
Jason Kim made an ardent, considerably self-absorbed Hoffmann, passionate but oblivious to Dorothee Bienert’s Niklausse. Kim managed to make Hoffmann much less of an fool than traditional and blended great thing about tone with a ardour that verged on the heroic on this comparatively compact theatre.
Dorothee Bienert was merely spectacular as Niklausse. Tall and self-possessed she had an enviable flexibility of tone and and strategy to Offenbach’s music that did full justice to the combination of opera comique lightness and seriousness. Above all it was the suppleness of her her vocal line that impressed. For the Epilogue, she was given the spoken model of the Muse’s revelation, which I feel is probably the most transferring of the choices.
Penelope Kendros made a pointed, quite naughty Olympia not a doll however a girl who exerted her independence and refused to suit the mould, taking the feminine refrain along with her! Rafaela Lintl was a captivating, quite passive Antonia, by no means fairly imbuing the character with sufficient simmering ardour to make the scene work. Andreana Kraschewska was a poised, subtle Giulietta, benefitting from a extra substantial position and extra coherent plot than traditional in order that she had actual dramatic enter. but, she additionally managed to make Giulietta mysterious and unknowable. Eleonora Fabrizi made an eloquent danced Stella, way more engaged in proceedings than traditional and managing to make a major contribution alongside her sisters. For the Epilogue, Denoke had all of the completely different incarnations current on the identical time, completely different facets of the identical, which justified the utilizing of 4 completely different performers.
Seugweon Lee was a vivid incarnation of the 4 villains. Showing considerably buttoned up at first, his Coppelius was properly mischievous, his Dr Miracle unusual and disturbing and his Dapertutto positively louche together with his lipstick and sparkly pink slippers (very Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz). Equally, his voice drew on a surprisingly flexibility in order that he efficiently encompassed the position’s darker low reaches and its difficult excessive writing.
Seumas Begg performed the 4 comedian roles, opening proceedings cleansing the stage and all through having a quite separate stage persona, virtually breaking the fourth wall, notably as his comedian aria from the Antonia act was used as an entracte with the assistance of Kendros’ Olympia and Fabrizi’s Stella. Arthur Bruce made a splendidly louche Schlemihl while Johannes Leander Maas turned in two very completely different characters as Spalanzani and Nathanael. The opposite roles have been equally nicely taken with Irakli Atanelishvili as Lutter and Crespel, Marija Jokovic as a really current incarnation of Antonia’s Mom, plus Andreas Lutje as Wilhelm, Volker Rohnert as Wolfram and Stephen Foster as Herrmann,
The refrain entered into issues as with a will, whether or not it was the party-goers within the Olympia act or the louche, scantily clad revellers within the Giulietta act. Vocally they have been on enthusiastic kind, however sadly had a bent to not see eye to eye with Vito Cristofaro, displaying an inclination to sing behind the beat in sooner, extra complicated numbers.
The orchestra impressed, making the music fill the theatre but protecting the sensation of lightness and litheness, this was by no means a portentous Hoffmann. General we loved the manufacturing immensely, as a result of Angelo Denoke’s understandable and dramatically progressive manufacturing was coupled with Vito Cristofaro’s certain really feel for the pacing and form of Offenbach’s music. Regardless of utilizing a comparatively full version, the work zipped alongside in the best way that grand opera Tales of Hoffmann usually don’t. The manufacturing doesn’t appear to be a co-production which is a disgrace because it deserves to be seen elsewhere.
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