The Dallas Opera - The Tales of Hoffmann

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The Tales of Hoffmann

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Synopsis Cast Bios Composer Behind the Scenes	Behind The Scenes
	The Tales of Hoffmann: The workaholic Jacques Offenbach once remarked, "I'm sorry for those who do not like my music because I will undoubtedly die with a tune on the tip of my pen." When Offenbach died in 1880 at the age of 61, on the tip of his pen was Les contes d'Hoffmann, or, The Tales of Hoffmann, which he hoped would be his masterpiece. Offenbach had long hoped to create a work that would firmly establish his reputation as a serious composer, not merely the creator of clever operettas, and known as "the Mozart of the boulevards." The Paris that had embraced Offenbach's mocking wit and effervescent music had changed in the wake of the Franco-Prussian war and the Commune. Although often ill (he suffered from severe gout), Offenbach continued to compose and position himself as best he could in the new Republic, in order to support his wife and children. However, he was a poor business manager and both the composer and the theater he managed went bankrupt in 1871, prompting him to accept an offer to make an American tour. While overseas, Offenbach's thoughts turned to a play he had seen two decades earlier by Jules Barbier and Michel Carr� (the librettists of Gounod's Faust). The play was based on several stories authored by the German romantic, E.T.A. Hoffmann. These tales of ill-fated but fantastic love touched a chord, and he secured Barbier's libretto, from his own play, and set to work on a draft. Offenbach had always composed at lightning speed (he had a special desktop installed in his carriage to allow him to continue composing while riding to-and-from the theater), but failing health and failing finances slowed the composition to a crawl. One biographer described him as "a lonely old man, whose only ambition was to complete the work on which his heart was set�he arrived at the conclusion that there was a secret connection between his work on The Tales of Hoffmann and the approach of death." Like his character Antonia, he would die singing the song he was meant to sing. A private reading of the opera led to an agreement with the Op�ra-Comique, but delays put Offenbach's dream of living to see his opera performed on opening night in serious doubt. During early rehearsals, the composer suffered a debilitating attack and was led to his deathbed clutching the manuscript of The Tales of Hoffmann. He died on October 5th, 1880. When his opera finally opened in February of 1881, it was an unqualified hit, with over 100 performances that season, and it hasn't left the repertoire since.

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Hover over a date in the calendar above to see the days event(s) listed here.

Thursday 03/04/10

6:30PM - 8:00PM
CANCELED- Amici and Leadership FWOpera Costume Shop Tour at The Wiley Theater
The Wiley Theater, AT&T Performing Arts Center, 2400 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201

Friday 03/05/10

6:00PM - 7:00PM
AMICI Night - DON PASQUALE
Winspear Opera House - 2403 Flora Street, Dallas 75201

Friday 03/05/10

7:30PM - 10:30PM
DON PASQUALE - Friday Evening Performance
Winspear Opera House - Flora Street, Dallas 75201

Sunday 03/07/10

2:00PM - 5:00PM
DON PASQUALE - Sunday Matinee 2
Winspear Opera House - Flora Street, Dallas 75201

Saturday 03/13/10

12:00PM - 12:30PM
Inside The Dallas Opera on WRR 101.1 FM
Listen to WRR 101.1 FM

Monday 03/15/10

6:30PM - 7:30PM
Moby Dick Book Club- Session 5
The Winspear Opera House- 2403 Flora St. Dallas TX 75201

Tuesday 03/16/10

5:30PM - 7:00PM
Amici Happy Hour- Dali Wine Bar, One Arts Plaza
Dali Wine Bar- 1722 Routh St., Dallas TX 75201

Saturday 03/20/10

11:30AM - 9:00PM
The Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition
Gooch Auditorium (UT Southwestern Medical Center) 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. at Butler

Saturday 03/27/10

2:00PM - 4:30PM
"From Page to Stage: The Operatic Journey of Moby-Dick"
SMU- Caruth Auditorium

Sunday 03/28/10

4:00PM - 5:30PM
"From Page to Stage: The Operatic Journey of Moby-Dick- Exclusive Subcriber Event"
The Winspear Opera House- Hamon Hall, 2403 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201