Jacques Offenbach. The Tales of Hoffmann

Jacques Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann (2016)

Recorded from the stage on Lake Constance

Performers: Daniel Johansson, Kerstin Avemo, Mandy Fredrich, Rachel Frenkel, Michael Volle, Wiener Symphoniker, Johannes Debus – conductor

Directed by Stefan Herheim

The New York Times praised Stefan Herheim’s interpretation for its creativity. The German director made the theme of the performance the search for oneself in a drag show (a place, where performers, mostly men, in glamorous clothes and strong make-up, perform as female characters). The role of the ‘glittering Hoffmann’, as the NYT put it, is created by the Swedish tenor Daniel Johansson. We have not seen such a Hoffmann and such a Johansson yet.