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| Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann - Dorothee Bienert, Jason Kim - Oldenburgisches Staatstheater |
Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann: Jason Kim, Dorothee Bienert, Penelope Kendros, Adréana Kraschewski, Raffaela Lintl, Eleonora Fabrizi, Seungweon Lee, dir: Angela Denoke; cond: Vito Cristofaro; Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Oldenburg, Germany
Reviewed 4 May 2025
A production that certainly punched above its weight, Angela Denoke & Vito Cristofaro get so much right, with an ardent Hoffmann from Jason Kim
Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann is such a minefield that there are many ways a director can fall foul. It is certainly not one of those works that plays itself. Even beyond the editorial nightmare that the work represents [see my article 'A fascinating conundrum'], there is the fact that Offenbach habitually over wrote, creating too much material and cutting and shaping at the last minute. So, if we have a musically satisfactory edition (a big ask in the first place), we then have to create a satisfying dramatic structure.
We caught The Tales of Hoffmann at the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater partly because our holiday itinerary enabled us too. It took place in the Oldenburg State Theatre, built in 1893 as the Grand Ducal Court Theatre and most recently renovated in 1998. It is a small, but perfectly formed building seating something over 500. But the performance was indeed a welcome treat with a sure hand both in terms of direction and conducting.
The production debuted on 26 April 2025 and we caught the performance on 4 May 2025. The director was Angela Denoke, the soprano who has recently added direction to her credits, and the conductor was Vito Cristofaro. Jason Kim was Hoffmann with Dorothee Bienert as Niklausse/Muse, Penelope Kendros as Olympia, Adréana Kraschewski as Giulietta, Raffaela Lintl as Antonia, Eleonora Fabrizi as Stella, Seungweon Lee as the four villains, Seumas Beggg as the four comic tenor roles, Arthur Bruce as Schlemihl, Johannes Leander Maaas as Spalanzani and Nathanael, Irakli Atanelishbili as Lutter and Crespel. Designs were by Susana Mendoza with choreography by Fabio Toraldo.
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| Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann - Jason Kim, Penelope Kendros, Dorothee Bienert, Seungweon Lee - Oldenburgisches Staatstheater |
The programme book was vague as to exactly what we were hearing though Schott's (publishers of the most recent edition from Kaye & Keck) were credited and indeed textually this was one of the most satisfactory versions that I have seen in a long time with an extremely convincing Giuilietta act. There were discreet cuts, we got rather less of the students (thankfully) than usual. But the outstanding Niklausse/Muse of Dorothee Bienert benefited from an expansive version of her role.
In the pit, Vito Cristofaro drew eager playing from the orchestra and he had a sure hand with the music. The opera comique Offenbach was to the fore and this performance had admirable pace allied to litheness and liveliness. There was no grand opera portentousness so the work never sagged.
Susanna Mendoza's designs were largely modern with a simple yet effective set. But costuming was admirably lavish and there was a fascinating golden age Hollywood touch to the female costumes. Dorothee Bienert's Niklausse/Muse was Katherine Hepburn-like with a beautifully tailored suit, whilst Penelope Kendros' Olympia resembled Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Adreana Kraschewsk's Giulietta hinted at Rita Hayworth's Gilda
Denoke refocused the plot on Hoffmann and Niklausse's relationship, Niklausse being a she and Hoffmann taking his time to discover her love. The students were more like a disturbing men's drinking club. Olympia was something of a sex symbol who broke free of the mould, whilst in the Giulietta act, Niklausse had a Sapphic flirtation with Giulietta. All adjustments helped to solve problems inherent in the opera's dramaturgy.
Jason Kim made an ardent, somewhat self-absorbed Hoffmann, passionate yet oblivious to Dorothee Bienert's Niklausse. Kim managed to make Hoffmann less of an idiot than usual and blended beauty of tone with a passion that verged on the heroic in this relatively compact theatre.
Dorothee Bienert was simply spectacular as Niklausse. Tall and self-possessed she had an enviable flexibility of tone and and approach to Offenbach's music that did full justice to the mix of opera comique lightness and seriousness. Above all it was the suppleness of her her vocal line that impressed. For the Epilogue, she was given the spoken version of the Muse's revelation, which I think is the most moving of the options.
Penelope Kendros made a pointed, rather naughty Olympia not a doll but a woman who exerted her independence and refused to fit the mould, taking the female chorus with her! Rafaela Lintl was a charming, rather passive Antonia, never quite imbuing the character with enough simmering passion to make the scene work. Andreana Kraschewska was a poised, sophisticated Giulietta, benefitting from a more substantial role and more coherent plot than usual so that she had real dramatic input. yet, she also managed to make Giulietta mysterious and unknowable. Eleonora Fabrizi made an eloquent danced Stella, far more engaged in proceedings than usual and managing to make a significant contribution alongside her sisters. For the Epilogue, Denoke had all the different incarnations present at the same time, different aspects of the same, which justified the using of four different performers.
Seugweon Lee was a vivid incarnation of the four villains. Appearing somewhat buttoned up at first, his Coppelius was nicely mischievous, his Dr Miracle strange and disturbing and his Dapertutto positively louche with his lipstick and sparkly red slippers (very Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz). Similarly, his voice drew on a surprisingly flexibility so that he successfully encompassed the role's darker low reaches and its challenging high writing.
Seumas Begg played the four comic roles, opening proceedings cleaning the stage and throughout having a rather separate stage persona, almost breaking the fourth wall, particularly as his comic aria from the Antonia act was used as an entracte with the help of Kendros' Olympia and Fabrizi's Stella. Arthur Bruce made a wonderfully louche Schlemihl whilst Johannes Leander Maas turned in two very different characters as Spalanzani and Nathanael. The other roles were equally well taken with Irakli Atanelishvili as Lutter and Crespel, Marija Jokovic as a very present incarnation of Antonia's Mother, plus Andreas Lutje as Wilhelm, Volker Rohnert as Wolfram and Stephen Foster as Herrmann,
The chorus entered into things as with a will, whether it was the party-goers in the Olympia act or the louche, scantily clad revellers in the Giulietta act. Vocally they were on enthusiastic form, but unfortunately had a tendency not to see eye to eye with Vito Cristofaro, displaying an inclination to sing behind the beat in faster, more complex numbers.
The orchestra impressed, making the music fill the theatre yet keeping the feeling of lightness and litheness, this was never a portentous Hoffmann. Overall we enjoyed the production immensely, because Angelo Denoke's comprehensible and dramatically innovative production was coupled with Vito Cristofaro's sure feel for the pacing and shape of Offenbach's music. Despite using a relatively full edition, the work zipped along in the way that grand opera Tales of Hoffmann often do not. The production does not seem to be a co-production which is a shame as it deserves to be seen elsewhere.
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