Offenbach - The Tales of Hoffmann / Domingo, Sutherland, Bacquier, Bonynge

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This is the first of many recordings that attempts to return this opera--which the composer left unfinished at his death--to something more in line with what he envisioned. While it may work in the theater, it seems fitful on record, particularly with spoken dialogue. The cast, with Plácido Domingo in the title role and Joan Sutherland playing all three heroines in the flashbacks, has long made this recording a first-choice Hoffmann among some critics. But Domingo lacks the ideal vocal elegance, and having three different personalities as the heroines can be much more interesting. This recording does have some famous French character singers in its favor--Hugues Cuénod and Gabriel Bacquier--but this may be mostly for Sutherland fans. --David Patrick Stearns

Offenbach - The Tales of Hoffmann / Domingo, Sutherland, Bacquier, Bonynge, Music, Jacques Offenbach, Andre Charlet, Richard Bonynge, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre du Radio de la Suisse Romande, Pro Arte de Lausanne, Joan Sutherland, Plácido Domingo, Gabriel Bacquier, Classical, Classical Music, French Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta

Offenbach - The Tales of Hoffmann / Domingo, Sutherland, Bacquier, Bonynge
Average customer rating:

A Fine Hoffman...

A premium first choice

Nice try, but . . .

A good recording, but not the best

essential recording

Offenbach - The Tales of Hoffmann / Domingo, Sutherland, Bacquier, Bonynge

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000041RR
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Prologue: 'Glou! glou! glou! je suis le vin!'
Prologue: 'Dans les roles d'amoureux langoureux'
Prologue: 'Allons, allons mes enfants! Preparez cette salle'
Prologue: 'Eh! Luther! Ma grosse tonne'
Prologue: 'Il etait une fois a la cour d'Eisenach'
Prologue: 'Peuh! cette biere est detestable!'
Prologue: 'Et par ou votre diablerie'
Prologue: Entr'acte
Act One: 'Allons! Courage et confiance'
Act One: 'Pardieu!' J'etais bien sur de te trouver ici!'
Act One: 'J'ai des yeux, de vrais yeux'
Act One: 'Non, aucun hote, vraiment'
Act One: 'Les oiseaux dans la charmille'
Act One: 'Ils se sont eloignes enfin!'
Act One: 'Tu me fuis? qu'ai-je fait?'
Act One: 'Voici les valseurs!'
Act Two: 'Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour'
Act Two: 'Amis! L'Amour tendre et reveur'
Act Two: 'Au jeu, au jeu, messieurs!'

Tracks:

Act Two:: Scintile, diamant
Act Two:: A nous trois, mes maitres
Act Two:: 'Malheureux, tu ne comprends donc pas'
Act Two:: Que vais-je faire? Quel est ce brevuage
Act Three:: Elle afui, la tourterelle
Act Three:: Jour et nuit je me mets en quatre
Act Three:: ' C'est une chanson D'amour qui s'envole'
Act Three:: Que veux-tu faire?
Act Three:: 'Tu ne chanteras plus...sais-tu quel sacrfice'
Act Three:: 'Mon enfant1ma fille! Antonia!'
Act Three:: Interm-Entr'acte
Epilogue: 'Voila, mes amis, quelle fut I'histoire de mes trois amours'
Epilogue: 'Messieurs, le souper est seri!'
Epilogue: 'Et moi? Moi, la fidele amie'
Epilogue: 'Asieu! Je ne veux pas te suivre'
Epilogue: 'Jusqu' au matin remplis, remplis mon verre!'

Amazon.com

This is the first of many recordings that attempts to return this opera--which the composer left unfinished at his death--to something more in line with what he envisioned. While it may work in the theater, it seems fitful on record, particularly with spoken dialogue. The cast, with Plácido Domingo in the title role and Joan Sutherland playing all three heroines in the flashbacks, has long made this recording a first-choice Hoffmann among some critics. But Domingo lacks the ideal vocal elegance, and having three different personalities as the heroines can be much more interesting. This recording does have some famous French character singers in its favor--Hugues Cuénod and Gabriel Bacquier--but this may be mostly for Sutherland fans. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

A Fine Hoffman..........2007-01-25

First, I'd like to correct something said by a previous reviewer. This recording was made in August 1971, not 1976. Joan Sutherland is in at least as good of voice as she was in her 1971 recordings of Lucia di Lammermoor and Rigoletto. Domingo is in glorious, luscious voice. Any criticism of his work here is ridiculous. Bacquier does a fine job as the bass, though his high note in the "Diamond Aria" is less than first-rate. The Barcarolle is taken too slowly and could have been named "Belle Sleep" rather than "Belle Nuit". Sutherland is in her best vocal and dramatic form as the third heroine, Antonia.

A premium first choice.......2006-04-23

There is nothing as hard as picking one single recording of "Contes d'Hoffmann", Offenbach's arguably best and hands down his most `serious' work. Each recording usually comes up with a huge strength and also a remarkable drawback. The arguably best Hoffmann (Schicoff) is plagued with occasional ridiculous tempo choices from the conductor (Cambrelling). The usually-considered best quartet of ladies (Sills) happens to couple with the perhaps worst Hoffmann (Burrows) and a bland quartet of villains (Treigle). The best quartet of villains (Bacquier) appears alongside with a much less-than-ideal Giulietta (Sutherland). The best Nicklausse-Anne Sofie von Otter, in her small role, practically outshines every other member of a bland cast. The best Antonia (de Los Angeles) modestly sings her part in a jumble created by an all-star cast, all vying for the spotlight.
This being said, this recording of "Contes d'Hoffmann" is by far one of the best choices and is arguable the best all-around recording which deserves its fame.
Sutherland shines throughout the recording (at least most of it). Just as expected, her Olympia is dazzling. I have heard slower, thus more taxing versions; I have also heard funkier ornamentations in the 2nd verse (leading to a F3 or even G3). But never have I heard such a technically amazing, pure and funny interpretation of the doll aria. Her portrayal of the winding down robot is utterly convincing. Her "Oui, oui" made me burst into laughter. Hands down the best Olympia on record. Sutherland's Antonia is also surprisingly good. Her girlish tone greatly helps her in portraying the young and loving girl. And what a powerful trio! The D-flat at the end of the trio is simply jaw-dropping. 2 drawbacks in Sutherland's Antonia: The unclear diction (especially in "Elle a fui, la tourterelle", where so many consonants are left out) and the missing of vocal colors, which results in an unconvincing death scene. Antonia's swansong death trill certainly is mesmerizing, but Sutherland still makes Antonia sound too healthy after the deadly song. Sutherland's Giulietta is really not convincing enough. Her unclear diction somehow works in the famous Barcarolle duet, giving it the necessary mistiness to the scene. But her biggest moment in the act-the duet with Hoffmann, clearly shows that Sutherland's voice is too clean, too light to convincingly portray the cunning courtesan. Bonynge's edition of the score omits the septet and transforms it into the quartet in the epilogue, thus giving Stella a chance to sing. Because of this, Sutherland really has little space to show her greatest singing in this act, so much of Giulietta's music being left out. However, Sutherland is excellent in Giulietta's spoken dialogue-she really sounds evil and necessarily b*tchy. Her Stella is great, the E-flat at the end of the Quartet is breath-taking. All these being said, I had to pay very close attention to find out any weakness in Sutherland's quartet of ladies. She is by far one of the best Ladies, her only competition in the Quartet of ladies being Sills; and Sutherland's Olympia is by far the best.
Domingo's Hoffmann is well-known, and this recording shows why. His voice, ringing and powerful, convincingly portrays Hoffmann's anguish and struggle. His Kleinzach song is by far the best and the most captivating I've ever heard. Yes, he sometimes strips on some French words ridiculously and he obviously has trouble pronouncing the "-er" of most French verbs. But at least he makes the correct sounds and the diction is perfectly acceptable. He is one of the best Hoffmann's, his only rivals are Schicoff, who does not have an equally beautiful voice and diction but gets even deeper into the poet's anguish and Gedda, who doesn't as convincingly portray the struggling poet but comes across with a marvelous French style which he was famous for.
Bacquier's quartet of evils is definitely the best, on par with Jose van Dam's, blessed with the perfect French style, rock-solid tone and excellent melodramatic abilities of which a Hollywood actor could have envied. His laughs in the Antonia act really sends chills down one's spine and his spoken dialogue is crisp and frightening.
Tourangeau is an excellent Nicklausse, singing with idiomatic French style and beautiful tone. She is also (perhaps) the only Muse who can sound so terrific just with the spoken dialogue. Her spoken verses in the Prologue and Epilogue can just be described as otherworldly.
Cuenod's quartet of servants is good and very funny, although he seems to portray Cochenille's stuttering with some reluctance and definitely is a bit too nasty as Pittichinaccio; but his Frantz is moving and convincing. Jacques Charon's Spalanzani is HILARIOUS, by far the best on record. Plishka's a moving and caring Crespel and Lilowa's caught in a good day as Antonia's mother. Andre Neury's Schemil, however, sounds nonchalant. Finally, Bonynge's conducting is wonderful. The score comes to life and grabs you. He is also the one who arranged this very edition of the score and definitely knows it like the back of his hand.
If you want the best all-around recording of this wonderful and tuneful opera OR you are a big Sutherland/Domingo fan OR you want a quartet of Ladies and quartet of evils sung by only one singer as Offenbach intended, then look no further and get this recording when you still can. If you want the best quartet of ladies, either get this one, which also boosts a wonderful cast or Sills's version, if you can tolerate all the other parts, all average interpretations. If you are huge fans of certain singers then there are all possibilities of choice: de Los Angeles as Antonia, von Otter as Nicklausse and so on...Whatever your preference, try to get more than one recording of this wonderful opera and make sure they compensate each other. My choices are: This Sutherland/Domingo/Bonynge recording (4 in 1 for the Ladies), which has the best quartet of villains, the best Olympia, a first-rate Hoffmann and Nicklausse and the recent Alagna/Nagano version (4 in 4 for the Ladies) which has a nearly equally powerful villain quartet (van dam), a very decent and French Hoffmann (Alagna), an excellent Giulietta (Jo) and much more music to the Giulietta act. This recording is a premium recommendation. Believe me, you won't get disappointed.

Nice try, but . . ........2006-04-04

Source: Studio recording made at Victoria Hall, Geneva, in 1971 and first published in 1972. The digital mastering dates from 1986.

Sound: Good analogue stereo that was highly praised in its day. The digital version is perfectly satisfactory for all but audiophile purists.

Documentation: 270 page booklet. Libretto in German, French and English. Essays on Offenbach and on the creation of this performing version. Summary of the plot. Track listing identifies the main singer being heard and provides timings.

Format: Disk 1- Prologue, tracks 1-8; Act I, tracks 9-16; Act II, tracks 17-19; 71:35. Disk 2 - Act II (concluded), tracks 1-4; Act III, tracks 5-11; Epilogue, tracks 12-16; 70:51.

Cast: Hoffmann - Placido Domingo; Nicklausse / La Muse - Huguette Tourangeau; Olympia / Giulietta / Antonia / Stella - Joan Sutherland; Lindorf / Coppelius / Dapertutto / Dr Miracle - Gabriel Bacquier; Spalanzani - Jacques Charon; Schlemil - Andre Neury; Crespel - Paul Plishka; La voix - Margarita Lilova; Andres / Cochenille / Pitichinaccio / Frantz / Luther - Hugues Cuenod; Hermann - Paul Guigue; Nathana?l - Pedro di Proenza; Un laquais - Jean Valaisan. Conductor: Richard Bonynge with L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande and the Choruses of Radio de la Suisse Romande, Pro Arte de Lausanne and Du Brassus.

Text: This is an intermediate or perhaps more accurately, an ad hoc version, recorded well before the establishment of (this week's) final text. Post-Offenbachian recitatives have been expunged and replaced by spoken dialogue. The order of performance is Prologue, Act I (Olympia / Dancing Doll), Act II (Giulietta / Venice), Act III (Antonia / Dying Soprano), Epilogue. "Scintille, diamont" is still included in Act II, which here ends with the accidental poisoning of Giulietta. The septet traditionally heard in Act II appears as a quartet in the epilogue.

In the booklet, Richard Bonynge, conductor and onlie begetter of this performance, writes to justify the decisions he made in altering the opera from its long-established, traditional form--or not, as the case may be. The recitatives take too long, he thinks, and Offenbach's numbers are obviously--to him--surrounded by dialogue. "I have left the inserted aria for Dapertutto and allowed Coppelius his accustomed song--the opera gains nothing by removing them and the ear is used to them." Elsewhere he says, "I find from performance in the theatre that the Giulietta act makes a double effect if it comes before the Antonia. This latter is of a staggering musical inspiration and needs to be last." He states that "It is imperative that the four soprano roles be played by the same singer", for they are all facets of Hoffmann's unattainable love, Stella. Similarly, the four villains should be given to one singer, as "they are all manifestations of evil in different forms."

Well, that's what Bonynge thinks. I certainly agree with him about the placement of Antonia in Act III. On the other hand, some bright ideas just don't work out in practice. Consider the recitatives. Listen to this performance. Now, listen to it again. On the second hearing all that endless dialogue gets wearisome. At each subsequent hearing it becomes worse, so that one is virtually forced to skip over it. Then there is the multiple casting. That only works if the singers are up to it. Bacquier, a master of French styles, is very much up to it. Sutherland is not. She sings beautifully, no doubt of that, but she really does not effectively differentiate the characters. Worse, she is at her droopiest with Antonia, the one who most demands snap and crackle.

Some operas are happy in the recording. I can name five or six "Trovatores," a handful of "Don Giovannis" and two or three "Rigolettos" that I'd unhesitatingly recommend to anyone. Finding the ideal recorded "Hoffmann," though, is like finding the flawless "Traviata" or "Fidelio." It is something of an endless quest. The 1948 Cluytens version is as authentically French as a Citroen car, but it follows the discredited traditional form, is in quite terrible sound, and suffers from some of the most Gawdawful supporting players I have ever heard. A later Cluytens version with Gedda, Schwarzkopf and de los Angeles is spoiled from front to back by the utterly mad casting of a baritone as Nicklausse. The Sills set, also in traditional form, fails with Treigle as the four villains. Some recent recorded versions have swollen to Wagnerian length by incorporating material that Offenbach, a true creature of the theater, would have tossed out at the first rehearsal.

This recording actually has many strengths. Domingo is a superb Hoffmann, even if his French is rather less than Parisian. He is a wonderful singer, but I can think of few other performances in which he is so fully in character as he is here. Bacquier always provides stylish pleasure. I had not listened to this "Hoffmann" for some time, so it was something of a surprise to hear just how very good Huguette Tourangeau was as Nicklausse. Why, oh why didn't her career soar to greater heights? Sutherland, for all her faults, was Sutherland, a thing of wonder. (I choose to say no more than that Charon, the Spalanzani, would have been quite at home in Cluytens' 1948 recording.)

The band and the choruses are all fine.

Some specific performance touches, such as the repeated outbreaks of maniacal laughter, the overblown line readings in the dialogue and the too common speaking over the music, get real old, real fast.

On the whole, this is a pretty good recording, a nice try at creating a definitive "Les Contes d'Hoffmann," but not quite a success.

Four stars.

A good recording, but not the best.......2005-02-03

This is a good recording of The Tales of Hoffman. Domingo gives a very good performance in this recording, his French much finer than in his Bizet Carmen recording. Still, his dictions suffers slightly. However, Joan Sutherland succeeds in giving a good performance as some of Hoffman's heroines. Very recommended for an opera library, but if you want the greatest Hoffman on record, look for Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's version with Nicolai Gedda as her partner tenor. That is the supreme record of Hoffman. The next one would be Sill's version

essential recording.......2003-06-30

This Hoffman is my favorite French opera. It features two of the greatest singers in their divine prime, Sutherland and Domingo. Wow, what a glorious sound they make. And what a tour de force they manage to accomplish.
The Sill's version is also very good. But it is tame next to this one. The singing is just not nearly as glorious. Compare Sill's Olympia especially is evidence that she is not nearly the quintessential coloratura as Sutherland. Sutherland's "Doll Song" is amazing. Its display of coloratura is unprecedented and incomparable. Domingo's vocal splendor is equally phenomenal.
This is an essential recording. No opera collection is complete without it.

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