Roberto Alagna, superbly stylish in French, embodies the poet Hoffmann, whose dreams of love are repeatedly shattered by José van Dam, inimitable as the four villains of the piece. Natalie Dessay conquered the world as the mechanical doll Olympia, while Sumi Jo seduces as Giulietta and Leontina Vaduva wrings the heart as Antonia. Conducting Michael Kaye’s comprehensive edition of the episodic score (left incomplete at Offenbach’s death), Kent Nagano brilliantly fuses the diverse elements of Les Contes d’Hoffmann.
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