The Metropolitan Opera: The Tales of Hoffmann
Synopsis
After a celebrated career as a composer of lighthearted operetta, Jacques Offenbach turned his hand to more serious fareâonly to die before his one true opera was completed. That work, Les Contes dâHoffmann, was based on a play that strung together a collection of stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann and cast the famed poet as the protagonist of his own tales. In this performance from the 2024â25 Live in HD season, French tenor Benjamin Bernheim stars as Hoffmann, four times unlucky in love. Alongside him as the objects of his affections, soprano Erin Morley is the high-flying automaton Olympia, mezzo-soprano ClĂ©mentine Margaine is the Venetian courtesan Giulietta, and soprano Pretty Yende is both the diva Stella and the ill-fated songstress Antonia. Bass-baritone Christian Van Horn portrays the four nefarious Villains who outwit Hoffmann at every turn, and mezzo-soprano Vasilisa Berzhanskaya is Hoffmannâs Muse and his companion Nicklausse, conducted by Marco Armiliato.
Where to watch
Not currently available to stream in United States.
