Rolando Villazon returns to Les Contes d'Hoffmann at ROH

Photo: ROH site

I’ve had a challenging weekend! And all i did was listen to almost 7 hours of French opera : 4x Offenbach plus 3x Berlioz. I’ll come back to Berlioz and his Damnation in a separate post, but just wanted to say than when I realised I had almost overbook myself I was quite apprehensive about my capacity to take all this in during one single day. It proved to be an inspiring combination and two works that go well together if you are in a pensative mood.


On to Hoffmann…
The last time I have heard this opera I was just a kid, the perspectives changes significantly with age. I find this now an utterly fascinating work, by far not just another French opera about love. As I see it now it is the tale of a very troubled man, always in the quest of deep, unlimited passion, be it love, beauty, art, music or his own literary muse. And it poses to me that interesting question of what is life without passion, but what if passion takes over life. One to Hoffmann is unbearable and the other leads equally to destruction (which is where I felt that Damnation tied wonderfully into as well).

The public laughed often throughout the opera, but I have to admit that for me (maybe also because of knowing where it ends time and time again) passages weren’t funny, but more grotesque, sometimes sad and always unsettling. Of course one can choose the way one views this opera.

Maybe it is also the old sets and the whole feeling they have about them of time not having been very kind on them, it does feel indeed more as distant memories through the eyes of a wiser and more disillusioned man than actual moments in current time.

But I am certain that the uniting element is Rolando Villazon’s interpretation of Hoffmann. I don’t know if it particularly reflects his current mood as an artist, but the role suits him exceptionally well. The music is good to his voice and vice versa, I have heard some beautiful warm notes in his lower register yesterday and the long rich lines were melancholic and emotional. But I see what he is trying to convey and do with the character and I like it. I hope the public will go to the performance with an open mind and open eyes and try and see beyond the old fashioned set up. And he is in good form, still looked and sounded pretty fresh at the end of it :-)
Kristine Jepson’s Nicklass felt like a true companion, but I am not sure about everyone else taking their character one step further. Wonderful singing from Olympia (Ekaterina Lekhina) and Antonia (Katie Van Kooten) and genuineness of character.

The scene which felt the weakest to me was Giulietta’s Venice. To be honest Pappano also had a bit of a dull moment there, it just didn’t sparkle, none of the expected sensuous character and spell of it came over, at least not for me. It was all a bit jaded and I do hope they do better on opening night, because each piece has it’s significance and they should have equal weight and intensity. Admittedly the set here doesn’t help but I do expect more, even though it might be the most difficult to act .

All in all it was a surprising and interesting preview and I must admit I wish there were some dress down opera-nights ;-) Nice to be really comfortable for once, also to see house staff more relaxed and the whole feeling of “working art” ;-)

But I am also looking forward to that tension, the butterflies of the “real thing”!

So I’ll be back with more Hoffmann after Tuesday night, until then good luck for the opening to all singers, performers and all staff who work on it :-)

PS Have to wonder if this will be the last we see of this particular production? I hope it doesn’t drop out of the repertory just because the sets call out for retirement, it is too beautiful an opera not be able to enjoy it more often!