Mariane Clément’s production of Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann recorded at the 2024 Salzburg Festival is not the sort of production that one dismisses as pointless and/or ill conceived but it is complex and difficult to read; at least on first viewing.  That said,  being on video rather than live probably doesn’t help.

The basic idea seems to be to blur the line between reality; past or present, and what’s going on in Hoffmann’s head.  At times Hoffmann is directing a film about his past loves but “reality” keeps intruding in confusing ways.  Are we seeing Stella or Olympia or Stella preparing to play Olympia?  Is Hoffmann in the film or directing it?  Is the filming process real or just a figment of Hoffmann’s drink addled brain?  How can a guy who seems to keep all his possessions in a supermarket trolley be directing a film?  Are the “villains” really incarnations of Satan or is that part of the film set up or is Hoffmann simply imagining it?

Let’s look at some examples. In Act 1, in Luther’s bar, the chorus members are in assorted and often rather weird costumes.  Is this the canteen of a film studio perhaps?  The Kleinzack song is accompanied by projections of illustrations from a fairy tale.  Act 2 opens with Olympia as a gum chewing, comic reading schoolgirl in what is clearly a 1970s setting but then she seems to be starring in some sort of remake of Barbarella directed by Hoffmann.

In Act 3 Hoffmann is clearly directing a film of the Antonia story set in the 19th century but he keeps getting mixed up.  Around “the set” it’s still the 1970s.  Frantz is stoned and snorting cocaine.  There’s an actor on stage playing Hoffmann but he mimes while director Hoffmann sings.  When Dr. Miracle appears he sings to an empty version of the dress we have just seen Stella/Antonia in.  Also he’s clearly Satan here with horns and so on.  At the end of the act it’s Hoffmann who collapses ill.  Acts 4 and 5 continue in a similar vein with more questions than answers and quite a lot of visual weirdness.  It’s also a very big and very dark stage (It’s the Großesfestspiele) and video director Michael Beyer has a really hard time creating something watchable; even on Blu-ray.

As a performance though it’s absolutely top notch.  Benjamin Bernheim is the best Hoffmann I’ve seen.  He’s everything one wants in a French tenor.  He has easy high notes, great diction and real acting chops.  Kate Lindsey makes really convincing transitions from the androgynous Nicklausse to a very feminine and sexy Muse and sings beautifully.  Christian Van Horn is totally solid as the “villains” and makes a very convincing Satan.

And to cap it off Kathryn Lewek plays all the sopranos quite brilliantly.  Vocally she’s got the coloratura and plenty of heft and she can darken up her colours when necessary; as Giulietta for example.  She also manages to be Stella and whoever Stella is playing simultaneously very convincingly.  She also carries off some very difficult scenes especially in Acts 2 and 4.  There are no weak links in the supporting cast and the chorus is terrific.  Add in the Wiener Philharmoniker and Marc Minkowski and one has a superb musical package.Technically it’s standard Blu-ray quality with DTS-MA-HD and 48kHz/24bit stereo sound.  The picture needs to be Blu-ray quality because a lot of scenes are very dark.  Subtitle options are French, English, German, Spanish, Korean and Japanese and there’s a basic booklet which could use more information about the production concept.

I’m really intrigued by this production but I wouldn’t recommend it to people not familiar with the opera.  In that case one might be better off with the excellent and rather more straightforward Hamburg recording but there are lots of other good choices.  There’s another intriguing prospect in the wings too.  The Royal Opera House production with Juan Diego Flórez and Ermonela Jaho is due for release in November!

Catalogue information: Unitel Blu-ray 811904