There’s something about the creative process that is intriguing, especially to non-artists. Stories about writers, composers, and artists are popular subject matter for literature and the theater. Several operas are based on these creative individuals.
Jacques Offenbach (1819–80) based his French opera “The Tales of Hoffmann” (“Les Contes d’Hoffmann”) on the life of German author E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776–1822). Jules Barbier wrote the libretto and co-wrote the 1851 play on which it was based, “Les contes fantastiques d’Hoffmann,” with Michel Carré.
Offenbach died four months before the opera’s premiere on Feb. 10, 1881. It was the last he composed. Curiously, the acts are not always performed in the same order, which is rare in opera; the version performed for many years deviated from the composer’s intentions.
The Tales
The opera begins with a prologue as Hoffmann, the romantic hero, holds court in a Nuremberg tavern. He awaits the arrival of his sweetheart, Stella, after her performance of the opera “Don Giovanni” ends. He begins telling the tavern patrons tales of his adventures and the three loves he found and lost during his travels. Each of the three ensuing acts is the story of a different love. Hoffmann is the central character in each.
Act I is based on a gruesome 1816 short story, “The Sandman” (“Der Sandmann”). A young man falls in love with a lifelike doll, believing her to be a real woman. Léo Delibes based his ballet (1870) “Coppélia” on this same story. The more grotesque elements of the short story, including all references to the titular sandman, were not included.
Two scientists, Spalanzani and the villainous Coppélius, craft the beautiful doll Olympia, whom Hoffmann believes to be a real woman because of magical glasses Spalanzani gives him. She sings enchantingly, albeit mechanically, and wins Hoffmann’s heart before Coppélius tears her apart for revenge over being cheated by Spalanzani (played by the hero Hoffmann).
Act II is based on the 1818 short story “Councillor Krespel” (“Rath Krespel”), also known as “The Cremona Violin.” The so-called “Antonia” act was based on the tale of a girl with a beautiful voice who is forbidden from singing due to a mysterious illness. In the original story, the girl is torn between her possessive father, Krespel, who wants her to sing only for him, and a composer beau who encourages her passionate singing. In the opera, the father is overbearing yet well-meaning, and his evil deeds are taken over by a separate villain, Dr. Miracle. Hoffmann takes the place of the story’s musical lover, but he discourages his beloved’s singing when he realizes it will harm her. Sadly, in both versions, Antonia dies from singing too much.
Act III, which for many years was inaccurately presented as the second, is based on Hoffmann’s “A New Year’s Eve Adventure” (“Die Abenteuer der Sylvester-Nacht“). Only the fourth and final chapter of this story, ”The Lost Reflection“ (“Das verlorene Spiegelbild”), was used as the basis for the ”Giulietta” act. In Venice, Hoffmann falls in love with the courtesan Giulietta, not realizing that she is attempting to seduce him so that the magician Dapertutto can steal his reflection. Hoffmann takes the place of Erasmus Spikher in the short story as the man who ultimately loses his reflection and realizes Giulietta’s betrayal.
The Music
When “The Tales of Hoffmann” debuted, soprano Adèle Isaac played the roles of leading ladies Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta, and Stella in the epilogue. Bass-baritone Émile-Alexandre Taskin played the four villains: Coppélius, Miracle, Dapertutto, and Count Lindorf of the prologue and epilogue. Character tenor Pierre Grivot played the servants Cochenille, Frantz, Pittichinaccio, and Andrès. Tenor Jean-Alexandre Talazac played the titular Hoffmann.The story’s central theme is that Hoffmann encounters different versions of the same people throughout his travels. A look at the opera’s libretto and the dialogue of the play on which the opera was based shows that the three quartets of characters should be performed by the same singers. In the epilogue, Hoffmann declares that his three loves were but one woman, Stella. The four villains have the same theme, indicating that the same evil force continues to thwart Hoffmann’s pursuit of his lady love.
The servants, described as “grotesques,” are still typically played by the same singer. The decision is natural, since each role is small and the characters are very similar. Frantz is deaf, Pittichinaccio is a dwarf, and three of the characters stutter. However, the heroines and nemeses are often cast as multiple singers in a single production because the vocal demands of the different sections are quite different. For instance, Lindorf and Dapertutto lean toward the baritone range, while Coppélius and Miracle drop into bass territory, suggesting that two singers could cover the four roles.
Ruining the Effect
“The Tales of Hoffmann” is described as an “opera fantastique,” meaning a fantasy opera. It’s all about fantastic, magical elements. The story is a whimsical take on the eccentric author, whose life was as wild as the stories he wrote. However, it wasn’t called “The Many Loves of Hoffmann,” and for good reason. The hero doesn’t realize that it’s the same woman in all three tales until his drunken epilogue.Opera is about the music and strong vocal performances. However, the desire for extreme vocal performances from the female singers in these roles has compromised the core theme of this story, driving companies to cast three separate singers. A true coloratura is needed for Olympia to screech the extremely high pitches added to “The Doll Aria.” A mezzo-soprano or heavy dramatic soprano is needed for the dark sound desired from Giulietta, although this makes the famous Barcarolle static because it is sung by two mezzos.
In cases like these, a talented and versatile singer works better in these roles than several with extreme singing ability. A strong bass-baritone with a good range can handle all four villains, as great singers like Lawrence Tibbett and Martial Singher have demonstrated. An agile, flexible dramatic coloratura with strong acting skills could embody all four roles with skill and aplomb, as renowned sopranos Vina Bovy, Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, and Edita Gruberova demonstrate in recordings. They don’t throw in notes an octave higher than what’s written, like current coloratura Natalie Dessay, and they don’t impose a throaty mezzo-like tone on Giulietta like Rise Stevens did. Instead, they convey consistency throughout the opera, which is what the story demands.
