Review of Tales of Hoffman from the Metropolitan Opera

   Jacques Offenbach began work on "Les Contes des Hoffman" in hoping of writing an effective serious opera.  As a composer well known for operettas, Offenbach was trying to change his reputation.  He did, but died before it happened.  There are many different editions of the opera since the score was left unfinished when Offenbach died.  This version includes sung versus spoken dialogue.          This live performance of Les Contes Hoffman dates back to 1955.  One would never tell because of the first rate remastering job.  I picked this up when I saw that Richard Tucker was the Hoffman, and my ex teacher Wayne Conner's teacher Martial Singher sang the 4 villains in the broadcast.  The then 80 year old conductor Pierre Monteux is on the podium.  Hoffman's three love interests are Rise Stevens, Lucine Amara and Roberta Peters.            Richard Tucker was well cut out for the taxing role of Hoffman.  Recordings in the studio do not do his voice justice.  This live recording preserves the true beauty of Tucker's voice.  Martial Singher's French was phenomenal.  Obviously he was French, but his diction is still quite notable regardless.  He was a lyric baritone, but had a strong lower end of the range.  In the Antonia act where he sings Dr. Miracle, his voice is not as big as I would like, but the orchestration is considerably larger in that act.  The 4 villains are an extreme challenge for a singer, especially the aria "Scintille Diamant", which is very high.  It is often transposed, which is the case with Singher.  He sings it brilliantly on this recording.  Roberta Peters is perfect as Olympia.  I enjoyed Lucine Amara and Rise Stevens in their respective parts as well.