FIRST LOOK:
The Tales of Hoffmann
See the designs for our dazzling new production of Offenbach's opéra fantastique...
Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann is one of the most eccentric works in the operatic canon, packed full of strange characters, whimsical stories and irresistible tunes.
Based on three short stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann (who also penned the story that inspired the ballet The Nutcracker), it sees a tipsy old man telling the stories of the four loves of his life. Each chapter has its own unique character, and bringing those to life requires a creative team with plenty of imagination.
Director Damiano Michieletto, Costume Designer Carla Teti and Set Designer Paolo Fantin (the team behind 2019's smash hit Il Viaggio a Reims) have created a new version of this "opéra fantastique" full of fantasy and humour but deeply rooted in the emotional truths of these characters. They've packed the opera with mice, stiltwalkers, school children, muses, magical dolls, ballerinas and an unlikely devil who oversees it all.
Here's just a tiny glimpse of some of the wonders the team are creating for this co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, which has its world premiere at Sydney Opera House in July 2023.
Hoffmann is a drunk, addicted and spending his time in a bar. We follow his memory and go into his past... All of these love stories have ended in a very sad way, giving him this troubled memory.
Carla Teti's costume design for The Tales of Hoffmann.
Carla Teti's costume design for The Tales of Hoffmann.
There are characters that are realistic somehow, mixed with characters who are fantasies... The more we go on with the story, the more there are characters who are part of the fantasy of Hoffmann. They’re part of his inner world.
The set [features] rooms which are kind of holes into memory of Hoffmann.
Carla Teti's costume design for The Tales of Hoffmann.
Carla Teti's costume design for The Tales of Hoffmann.
We are creating a kind of magic realism – on one side, clear storytelling with specific situations, but at the same time these situations have the possibility to go into territories that are fantasy...
Carla Teti's costume design for The Tales of Hoffmann.
Carla Teti's costume design for The Tales of Hoffmann.
Niklausse, in our version, is a fairy with a bird. It’s as if the bird is talking. This is a character who follows the journey of Hoffmann throughout the story.
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