The Tales of Hoffmann – review

Coliseum, LondonRichard Jones's new English National Opera production of Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann is a thing of paradoxes. It achieves greatness in some places and doesn't work in others, though its unevenness reflects problems surrounding the piece itself – above all, the editorial nightmare that dogs it.The score remained unfinished at Offenbach's death in 1880. Most productions use a version subsequently prepared by the composer Ernest Guiraud, which remains controversial for its ...

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