The Tales of Hoffmann

LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN, THE FANTASTICAL TALES OF A HOPELESSLY ROMANTIC POET

CAPTURED LIVE ON TUESDAY 15 NOVEMBER

We are thrilled to present the Royal Opera’s lavish 1980 production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann. The opera is based on the fantastical tales of the German Romantic writer and composer E.T.A Hoffmann and was originally directed by the late film director John Schlesinger (Academy Award winner of Best Director for Midnight Cowboy in 1969).

Starring the sensational Italian tenor Vittorio Grigoloas the poet E.T.A Hoffmann, the story explores the disheveled reality of E.T.A Hoffmann’s life and the elegant, successful-in-love poet of his dreams. Doomed to fail in love but succeed in art, the opera is told across three acts with three different love stories; the black comedy of adoring a mechanical doll, the sensuous menace of a materialistic courtesan to the tragedy of true love.

Transporting audiences from the visually alluring world of Paris to the hedonism of Venice, the costumes and ravishing sets make this production a cinematic feast for the eyes.