TV Standard: NTSC
Color: Colour

Credits:

Buchbinder, Rudolf

Description:

Since its premiere at the Royal Opera in 1980, Offenbach's "Tales of Hoffmann" directed by John Schlesinger has become one of the opera house's most popular productions. This is a live video recording of the most recent performance of the show, in November 2016. The director, John Schlesinger, is a filmmaker who won an Academy Award for Best Director for "Midnight Cowboy." Schlesinger's period setting is the 19th century, and his staging of the opera's fantastical world is stately and brilliant, along with William Dudley's meticulous scenography and Maria Bjornsson's elaborate costumes, making this one of the best-known stage performances of the opera. Opera fans have been familiar with this production starring Domingo and conducted by Prêtre (recorded in 1981, the year after the premiere) since the early days of laserdiscs, when video productions of operas were still rare. This latest video of this acclaimed production is presented in crisp image and sound quality. The lead role of Hoffmann is sung by the ever popular Vittorio Grigolo, and the four villains who lead Hoffmann to his doom are played by the famous baritone Thomas Hampson.The roles are sung and performed by up-and-coming singers including Sonya Yoncheva's Antonia, who has won rave reviews for her deep voice, coloratura soprano Sofia Fomina's Olympia, and mezzo new star Christine Rice's Giulietta and the female voices. Evelino Pido, who went from bassoonist at La Scala in Milan during the Abbado era to become the foremost Bel Canto Opera conductor as of 2017, conducts the entire production with a tight command that brings the entire work together beautifully. Sony Music