After the usual summer break, which is always too long for music lovers, the 2025/2026 season at the Opéra-Comique opens on 25 September 2025 with Les Contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), Jacques Offenbach‘s only opera and absolute masterpiece. Lotte de Beer‘s production comes from Strasbourg, where it premiered last January at the Opéra national du Rhin.

Offenbach, the undisputed master of opéra bouffe during the Second Empire, reveals a whole new side to his artistic genius in this work. Based on the fantastical short stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Tales of Hoffmann is an opera that brings together several tales about the unhappy loves of the writer, an iconic figure of European Romanticism. Unfortunately, Offenbach died before seeing his work performed on stage at the Opéra-Comique. Several revisions and additions that have been made to the work are both a real headache for musicologists and a veritable playground. There are several versions of The Tales that the German director explores.

This new production marks the return of an essential masterpiece to the Opéra-Comique repertoire. A regular at the institution, tenor Michael Spyres plays Hoffmann, opposite his Muse, played by Héloïse Mas. Conducting, Pierre Dumoussaud confirms his status as a leading interpreter of the Offenbach repertoire. Performances will run from 25 September to 5 October 2025 and are set to be one of the highlights of the opera season.

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Les Contes d’Hoffmann – c – Klara Back – Opera National du Rhin janvier 2025