Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffman/The Tales of Hoffmann (Domingo, Gruberova, &MORE

Description: Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffman / The Tales of Hoffmann (Placido Domingo, Edita Gruberova, Claudia Eder, Gabriel Bacquier, Justino Diaz, James Morris; Seiji Ozawa)This is a rare Brand New (Still sealed with the manufacture's original cellophane) Old stock (1989 original) printed in West Germany CD manufactured in U.S.A. This recording is very fine in voice and audio quality. Per the enclosed booklet, it is based to the (somewhat controversial) edition of the opera by Fritz Oeser published in 1977 (Cambreling had made a "straight" recording of that same edition the year before). However, Ozawa & Co. here opt to return several inauthentic (but, very good, not to be missed) items which Oeser had cut, and in turn cuts many authentic (but of dubious quality -- read "boring") items which Oeser had added in. The result in a fairly good amalgam which resembles a traditional, familiar Hoffman, with enough changes and additions made which actually improve the overall quality of the work. One gets the 3 female leads in their correct order: Olympia - Antonia - Giulietta, and all sung Edita Gruberova (the down side, the fourth female, Stella, had gone missing). Here, at the end of the Venice Act, is the traditional ending where Giuletta sails away into the night, instead of the better ending, where she accidentally poisons herself ("Ah! Giulietta, maladroite!" -- even the Bonynge gets that one right). These are my objections. But, this recording does end with the correct magnificent number sung by the Muse and chorus, and with several other authentic added in, this one becomes a winner. I could only give this one 4 stars because of my quibbles, but I am going with 5 due high musical standards.You are not going to get a complete or authentic recording of this opera anyway, though you will find there is an increasing amount of music offered. There is no "authentic" version because Offenbach died before completing it. He did leave behind a lot of manuscripts which various musical scholars have been sifting through over the years (Antonio de Almeida, Oeser, Michael Kaye, et.al.), and modern editions of the score have resulted in "Hoffmann" growing to an immense length, with several numbers existing in different settings. Those looking for the most music they can find should seek out the Kent Nagano recording on Erato. A slightly earlier one conducted by Jeffrey Tate on Philips also offers an expanded version, but Nagano had access to even more material. For those just wishing for a good musical version, this Ozawa is in the running, as is a more traditional job made in 1972 conducted by Rudel, with Beverly Sills. The tops in musical performance will probably remain that on Decca featuring Placido Domingo and Joan Sutherland, conducted by Richard Bonynge -- the score used on that one is highly compelling but eclectic, excellent with a number of needed corrections; but is still about as inauthentic and corrupt as you can get. Reviewed by: Robert Malone J'avais connu ce coffret à sa parution (1989) et, sur la foi d'une malheureuse note aiguë de Justino DIAZ dans 'Scintille, diamant', j'avais relégué ce vinyle aux oubliettes sans même jamais songer à le racheter en CD. Plus de vingt-cinq ans sont passés et c'est la récente et superbe restauration du classique de Michael POWELL (The Tales of Hoffmann - 1951) qui m'a, curieusement, fait songer à cette version OZAWA que j'ai maintenant acquise en CD.Ceux qui se plaignent que le chef-d'œuvre de Michael POWELL et d'Emeric PRESSBURGER (1951) soit chanté en anglais pourront s'interroger sur la langue qui a été retenue par Seiji OZAWA à la tête de l'Orchestre National de France. Si l'on ne connaît pas l'ouvrage et le livret de Jules Barbier, il sera bien difficile de suivre ce que disent les chanteurs. Sans doute que Plácido DOMINGO aura amélioré sa prononciation depuis la version BONYNGE mais il est encore loin d'être idiomatique. Pour autant, il demeure un Hoffmann très gratifiant dont les envolée sont de grands moments. Par ailleurs, il y a beaucoup trop de diables dans cette affaire-là qui voit quatre chanteurs se partager un rôle qu'il est préférable de confier à un seul artiste. Gabriel BACQUIER, le seul francophone du lot (avec le Frantz de Michel SÉNÉCHAL), est cantonné à Coppélius quand on doit s'employer à décoder tous les autres avatars diaboliques. Au passage, Justino DIAZ (Dapertutto) n'est pas le pire du lot qui, néanmoins, n'aurait pas dû tenter de finir son air sur un aigu aussi laid. Pourquoi a-t-on accepté de maintenir cette note-là ?Le belle surprise, c'est Edita GRUBEROVA. Elle prononce aussi mal le français que nombre de ses partenaires mais j'avoue que je suis convaincu par sa performance vocale dans les trois rôles féminins. Beaucoup moins par celle de Christa LUDWIG qui défigure le trio du finale de l'Acte d'Antonia (placé, ici, en Acte II). Reviewed by: Jean-Piere MondeilSku #69

Price: 69 USD

Location: Oviedo, Florida

End Time: 2024-03-09T02:54:14.000Z

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