Wednesday October 20th at 1.00pm Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) is the most enduring ‘serious’ opera from a composer otherwise better known for his sparkling operettas. It’s not hard to see why: Offenbach’s witty and highly melodious music finds the perfect vehicle in the Romantic, richly imaginative world of the storyteller E.T.A. Hoffmann. Offenbach adapted Jules Barbier and Michel Carré’s play, in which Hoffmann is cast as the deeply flawed teller of his own tales. The composer’s death shortly before the opera’s completion has resulted in a number of alternative versions – but this multiplicity has done nothing to dull the irresistible appeal of an opera in which music and story come together in a deeply satisfying whole.
Opera Appreciation GroupWinter 2021/22 Programme |
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Wednesday October 20th 1:15pm |
Tales of Hoffman—Offenbach A superb recording with Opera National de Lyon from 1993. It features a cast of top singers with the choir and orchestra of the Opera National directed by Kent Nagano |
120 mins |
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Wednesday November 17th 1:15pm |
Don Giovanni—Mozart (Zurich Opera) This is a thrilling performance. It is deeply attractive on a number of levels, the stage (and screen) presence of the central male duo: ……Those two are funny and sexy, often both–delicious to listen to and to look at. |
182 mins |
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POSTPONED Wednesday December 15th 1:15pm |
Der Rosenkavalier – Strauss (Der Weiner Staatsoper) any discussion of this DVD must begin with the superb conducting of Carlos Kleiber. From the first bar of music, you know you’re in for an altogether different “Der Rosenkavalier.” His is an extraordinary approach: spirited, agressive even — and it is wholly successful. wonderful. |
193 mins |
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POSTPONED January 19th 1:15pm |
Ariodante—Handel (English National Opera) Without a doubt’ this is Handel at his best. A sublime score and a great production |
178 mins |
Last Updated on February 16, 2022