Customer Reviews

Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffman/The Tales of Hoffmann (Domingo, Gruberova, Eder, Bacquier, Diaz, Morris; Ozawa)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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Domingo was unlucky with Hoffmann on records. When he recorded in 1972 his first Hoffmann with Bonynge, he was still too young to do this role justice. By the late 80's when this recording was made, he was no longer on top form, or at least was caught in a bad day or two. I was lucky to have heard him in this opera back in 1980 at the Salzburg Festival, when he just gave an unforgettable account of the role. I really hope someday tapes of those performances will be available. Gruberova is good, but as expected better as Olympia than as Giulietta. Justino Diaz as Dapertutto quite simply ruins this recording. You just will not believe the noises he makes in the diamond aria. For a general Hoffmann recommendation, I will urge you to investigate the Sylvain Cambreling recording in EMI, or the Kent Nagano in ERATO.

"The Tales of Hoffmann" was the first opera I ever saw, and what a perfect one to start with. It has everything -- romance, humor, fantasy, tragedy. First chance I got, I ran to the record store to get a copy. This is the version I chose. Although I am not a connoisseur of opera, to my untrained ears the performances sound beautiful. Placido Domingo infuses his rendition of Hoffmann with the appropriate angst. One very nice feature of this edition is that it comes with a complete libretto in four languages. It also includes essays on the real-life Hoffmann and the various ways this unfinished work has been reconstructed through the years. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes good music and a good story. It has borne many, many repeated listenings in my house.

I was very pleased to hear this version.
I thoroughly enjoy the Sutherland-Bonynge CDs, but it was nice to hear a slightly different version.

"The Tales of Hoffmann" was the first opera I ever saw, and what a perfect one to start with. It has everything -- romance, humor, fantasy, tragedy. First chance I got, I ran to the record store to get a copy. This is the version I chose. Although I am not a connoisseur of opera, to my untrained ears the performances sound beautiful. Placido Domingo infuses his rendition of Hoffmann with the appropriate angst. One very nice feature of this edition is that it comes with a complete libretto in four languages. It also includes essays on the real-life Hoffmann and the various ways this unfinished work has been reconstructed through the years. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes good music and a good story. It has borne many, many repeated listenings in my house.

Esta es una de las versiones mas logradas de esta complicada (por el gran numero de roles y su dificultad) opera de Offenbach.
PLACIDO DOMINGO ya habia grabado Hoffmann en cd entero varios años atras, y aqui vuelve a confirmarse como uno de los mas perfectos Hoffman en disco, por gusto, diccion e interpretacion. A su lado, la diva del belcanto EDITA GRUBEROVA asume los tres papeles sopraniles protagonistas, haciendo una sobresaliente Olympia y unas notables (quizá algo faltas de cuerpo vocal) Antonia y Giulietta.
Los cuatros malvados los encarnan muy bien ANDREAS SCHMIDT, autoritario Lindorff; GABRIEL BACQUIER, alocado Coppelius; JUSTINO DIAZ, seductor Dapertutto y JAMES MORRIS, perverso Dr. Miracle. Bravo a los cuatro, especial mencion a Schdmitd y Morris.
La mezzosoprano CLAUDIA EDER es una correcta Niclausse, y resulta verdadero un lujo contar en el amplio reparto de personajes secundarios con nombres como los de CHRISTA LUDWIG (Madre de Antonia), KURT RYDL (Maese Luther), RICHARD VAN ALLAN (Peter Schemil) o ROBERT GAMBILL (Andres) por citar solo unos pocos ejemplos. Los secundarios, todos muy muy adecuados.
SEIJI OZAWA dirige a la orquesta basandose mas en las pautas romanticas de la obra que en las de 'opera comique', alcanzando climax en los actos de Giulietta y Antonia respectivamente.
Todo esto hace de esta version de "Los Cuentos de Hoffmann", una lectura muy a tener en cuenta en la discoteca personal de cualquier aficcionado a la opera que se precie.