Show Story of 01 The Love Tales of oi Ii Hoffmann oHmann The Love Tales Tilles was the last flower of Offenbach h. h that eccentric genius who ho created opera and delighted and scandalized d the of or orthe the nineteenth century Offenbach considered considered con con- It his greatest work and nd the world Is apparently arriving tit at li tl e same sail conclusion It is described as a a. tic opera and it is difficult to imagine a a. better name for Cor this delightful concoction concoction tion It is not travesty tra though both the score and libretto abound in travesty Comedy it Is III not though the come v tea red tures are plentiful It is by no moans means a a. romantic music drama yet t Its foundation foundation tion is In romance It is far r from r being I grand o opera r yn yet It Is c t to t ite e t u re r l and much of its music is powerful It the most tragic because the real victim victim vic vic- Ic- Ic tim of the catastrophe is neither whom Hoffmann Hartmann slays nor Antonio Antonio An An- tonio whom death snatches hes from Hoffmann Hoffmann Hoffmann Hoff Hoff- mann but Hoffmann himself who ho after aCter having loved hWd Id Ideally ally goes 1015 to wallow with other human humann swine in Luthers Luther's wine cel cel- lar lal The oper opera is altogether ether a a. mixture of most of the tho elements e that gr Jn to o 0 up mundane existence the whole being being- blended d by the brain of or a a. genius Into a bitter satire saUre The story In fu brief concerns concerns con con- cerns one Hoffmann a Ii di dt you lI voit Gt German poet who amuses his riotous fellows fellows fel fel- fel- fel lows s by relating his three love affairs The three acts are portrayals of those these loves as the narrator relates them in his imagination I The she first adventure takes place In I an anI Italian city where Hoffmann succumbs to I the charms of a mechanical doll This act Is purely burlesque of a Very hl high h I border order The second affair happens in inI I Venice and the charmer is one Julietta a a. alight alight light and frivolous damsel on whose ac account account account ac- ac count the Impressionable Hoffmann fights I a a. fatal duel tinel This act o orens o ens with will me ii famous Barcarole and Is one of the i most beautiful e ever put on the operatic beI eUline eUlin i stage Home in Germany y Hoffmann a sueI sue suc- I l once more to the grand passion i his sweetheart Antonio has hS been warned that II that I if she loves lo life she must never I sing but the evil genius of her family I a a. sort of l hypnotizes s sher her and deceives her so that she breaks Into 1 what proves to be her death sonso son son- song So there you have the story Of my three loves I shall never forget them to my dying day sings Hoffmann once linore ore back in the wine cellar and singing ho he falls in drunken sleep across the table As he lies Ues there the muse of poetry appears appears ap ap- ap- ap pears in a vision Islon and tells t him henceforth II he lie must give up all aU earthly t. t loves and become become be be- come a great poet |