While waiting for Stella to conclude her performance in the opera house next door, Hoffman recounts his 3 tragic loves: Olympia the mechanical doll, Giulietta the courtesan, and Antonia the young consumptive.
Director: Brian Large
Conductor: Georges Prêtre
Cast:
Plácido Domingo ... Hoffmann
Luciana Serra ... Olympia
Agnes Baltsa ... Giulietta
Ileana Cotrubas ... Antonia
Claire Powell ... Nicklaus and The Muse
The cast also features several excellent bass/baritone villains.
The music here is king, with the Barcarole (which Hoffman borrowed from his own operetta Die Rheinnixen) prominent in Act II, of Giulietta the courtesan. Gorgeous.
Don't worry that Domingo looks awful in the Prologue: that's intentional. He's young and handsome in Act I. Are his singing and acting always wonderful? Nothing here to contradict that premise.
Unlike the Powell & Pressburger film ('51), where Moira Shearer danced all 4 women (including Stella), this is a live performance, and the 3 primary roles would be too much for 1 singer. In fact, I'd like to hear a better Olympia, because I don't think Serra really hit all the high notes (which are very difficult).
BBC & more, cond. Prêtre; 8
