Of all operas in the standard repertory, none has had a more complicated genesis and textual history than OffenbachsTales of Hoffmann. Based on a highly successful 1851 play inspired by the short stories by the German Romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, the work occupied the last decade of Offenbachs life. When he died in October 1880, the work was being rehearsed at the Opéra-Comique. At once cut and rearranged, the work was performed from the start in versions that ignored the composers final intentions. Only a few decades ago, when previously unavailable manuscripts came to light, it became possible to reconstitute the score in its real form. Vincent Giroud and Michael KayesThe Real 'Tales of Hoffmann'tells the full story for the first time in English.After discussing how the work of Hoffmann became known and influential in France, the book includes little-known sources for the opera, especially the complete Barbier and Carré play, in French and English. It describes the genesis of the opera. The annotated libretto is published in full, with the variants, for the two versions of the opera: with spoken dialogue or recitatives. Essays explain what was done to the opera after Offenbachs death, from the 1881 Opéra-Comique production to more recent restoration attempts. There is also a survey ofLes contes dHoffmann in performance from the 1970s to the present, and supplementary information, including discography, filmography, and videography.The Real 'Tales of Hoffmann' is intended to appeal to anyone interested in the work, specialists or non-specialists. Audiences, musicologists and students of French opera and opéra-comique will find it of particular interest, as will opera houses, conductors, singers, directors, and dramaturgs involved in performances of the opera.

Vincent Giroud is professor at the University of Franche-Comté, Besançon (France), former curator of modern books and manuscripts, Beinecke Library, Yale University, author ofFrench Opera: A Short History,Nicolas Nabokov: A Life in Freedom and Music, and contributor to theOxford Handbook of Opera and theOxford Handbook of Faust in Music.Michael Kaye, eminent American musicologist, author ofThe Unknown Puccini,translator ofGiacomo Puccini Catalogue of the Works, editor of works by numerous composers performed and recorded by major artists and orchestras, lecturer, educator, radio commentator, producer and opera administrator, annotator for major recordings, former member of the musical and artistic staffs of opera companies in the United States and Europe, including the Metropolitan Opera.

List of AbbreviationsForeword by Plácido DomingoIntroductionAcknowledgmentsChronologyPart 1 EssaysThe Awareness and Influence of E.T.A. Hoffmann in France BeforeLes contes dHoffmann,Vincent GiroudThe Librettists ofLes contes dHoffmann,Vincent GiroudHallucinations in the Tavern: Barbiers Scenario of the Play, Michael KayeThe Barbier and Carré Play and its Reception, Michael KayeThe Birth of the Opera, Michael KayeThe Revision for the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-MartinHector Salomon:Le rêve dHoffmann (18751881)The UnrealizedOpéra-féerie Version ofLes contes dHoffmannLes contes dHoffmann, From Play to Opera Libretto, Charlie RichardsBarbier as Versifier, Vincent GiroudHoffmannafter Offenbach, Michael KayeSummary of Performances at the Opéra-Comique Prior to 1911 and the First Performances of the Opera in Other CountriesThe Brussels Version of the Opera (1887)The Surprising Tale of Raoul Gunsbourgs Version of the Opera for Monte-Carlo (1904)Albert Carrés revival ofLes contes dHoffmann at the Opéra-Comique (1911)Les Contes dHoffmannon the Stage: From Felsentein to the Present, George LoomisElle est sur la scène: Arriving at and Choosing a Version, Vincent Giroud and Michael KayePart 2 The Play and the LibrettoLes contes dHoffmann: The Complete 1851 Barbier and Carré Play, Edited by Michael Kaye, English translation by Vincent GiroudThe Libretto ofLes contes dHoffmann, Edited and translated by Michael KayeLiterary Annotations for the Play and the Opera,Michael Kaye and Charlie RichardsAppendicesA. Comparative Table of Venues in the Opera in Early SourcesB. Descriptions of E. T. A. Hoffmann by Adolphe François Loève-Veimars (17991854) English translation by Vincent GiroudC. Little-Known Response to E.T.A. Hoffmann Prior to the Barbier and Carré Play Michael KayeGaetano Donizetti (17971848): Le violon de Crémone dHoffmannJuliette Godillon: A Forgotten French Composer Inspired by E.T.A HoffmannD. A Weimar-Era Example of the Operas Popularization: Laß dir nix von Hoffmann erzählen (1929), Michael KayeSelect Discography, Videography, and Filmography, Charlie Richards