Between 20 December 2026 and 2 January 2027, the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino presents Jacques Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, one of the most dazzling operas of French Romanticism. Premiered posthumously in Paris in 1881, the work stands as Offenbach’s most ambitious and imaginative creation. Based on tales by E.T.A. Hoffmann, it unfolds in a prologue, three acts, and an epilogue, blending reality, fantasy, and dreams into a kaleidoscope of theatre and music.

The story follows Hoffmann, poet and dreamer, who, in a tavern in Nuremberg, recounts his ill-fated loves: Olympia, the mechanical doll; Antonia, the fragile singer; and Giulietta, the Venetian courtesan. Each figure symbolizes an aspect of passion—illusion, fragility, seduction—while sinister forces, embodied by Lindorf and his alter egos, thwart the poet’s happiness. Offenbach’s score mirrors this variety with astonishing contrasts: lyrical arias, comic ensembles, virtuoso coloratura, and darkly dramatic passages.

This production, created by the Deutsche Oper Berlin, is staged by Laurent Pelly, renowned for his inventive theatrical vision. With Kent Nagano
at the podium and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra and Chorus under Lorenzo Fratini, Offenbach’s masterpiece gains new life. The cast includes Jessica Pratt as Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta, and Stella, Dmitry Korchak as Hoffmann, Alex Esposito in the multiple villain roles, and Marvic Monréal as the Muse/Nicklausse.

A fantastical journey through love, illusion, and art, Les contes d’Hoffmann continues to captivate audiences with its rich layers of meaning and its enchanting musical universe.