The eponymous stories in Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann each feature an inamorata from the German writer’s life. In Damiano Michieletto’s new production at the Royal Opera House they chart a trajectory from puppy love through a more mature, empathic relationship to the fateful liaison with a courtesan in a Venetian palace.
Hoffmann espies his first love, Olympia, in a schoolroom among the globes and blackboard. He and his classmates are in shorts and their antics are suitably puerile, even if there’s more than a hint of deviancy in Hoffmann’s crush on a doll. Given that she’s playing an automaton, Olga Pudova’s mechanical phrasing and coloratura (stunningly impressive as the latter is) as Olympia are perhaps forgivable if uningratiating.
