Composer

:

Jacques Offenbach

Genre

:

Opera

Style

:

Opera

First Performance

:

1881

Average_duration

:

130:33

Movement_count

:

45

Movement ....

Les contes d'Hoffmann is an opera composed by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Jules Barbier. The opera was composed between 1877 and 1881, and premiered on February 10, 1881, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. The opera is based on three short stories by the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, who is also the protagonist of the opera. The three stories are "Der Sandmann" (The Sandman), "Rath Krespel" (Councillor Krespel), and "Das verlorene Spiegelbild" (The Lost Reflection). The opera is divided into three acts, each of which tells one of Hoffmann's stories. In the first act, Hoffmann is in love with a singer named Stella, who is performing in a tavern. He is interrupted by his friend Nicklausse, who warns him that Stella is not what she seems. Hoffmann tells Nicklausse the story of his love for Olympia, a mechanical doll created by the scientist Spalanzani. Hoffmann falls in love with Olympia, but she is destroyed when her clockwork mechanism runs down. In the second act, Hoffmann falls in love with the singer Antonia, who is dying of consumption. Her father, Crespel, forbids her to sing, as it will hasten her death. Hoffmann tries to convince Antonia to sing, but she dies in his arms. In the third act, Hoffmann is in Venice, where he falls in love with the courtesan Giulietta. She promises to give him a diamond if he steals a mirror from Schlemil, her former lover. Hoffmann agrees, but Schlemil is killed in a duel with Hoffmann. Giulietta takes the diamond and leaves Hoffmann. The opera is known for its lush, romantic music, and its fantastical, dreamlike atmosphere. It features a number of memorable arias, including "Les oiseaux dans la charmille" (The Doll Song), "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" (Barcarolle), and "Scintille, diamant" (Diamond Aria). Les contes d'Hoffmann is considered one of Offenbach's masterpieces, and has been performed regularly since its premiere. It is notable for its use of the supernatural and its exploration of the themes of love, art, and mortality.

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