REVIEW: Denver opera stunning but over-indulgent

DENVER - Stunning. Fascinating. Haunting. These are the first words that come to mind when attempting to describe what Denver’s Opera Colorado put up on the Ellie Caulkins Opera House stage to open their new season.

Their performance of “The Tales of Hoffmann” also earned another set of words: overstimulating, charmless, overindulgent. For on this occasion, this undervalued masterpiece belonged more to its stage director, Renaud Doucet, and set and costume designer André Barbe than to its composer, Jacques Offenbach, and librettist Jules Barbier.

Employing living sculptures (Offenbach himself was launched out of golden medallion), cartoon-like costumes, M.C. Escher-inspired sets, futuristic robots, puppetry and immense silhouettes – the creative team did a brilliant job of capturing the hallucinogenic quality of Hoffmann’s three tales. But this was at the expense of the composer’s music. Sublime moments became secondary to the production’s obsession with invention. The cathartic conclusion of the opera seemed out of place — as if it were an afterthought.

Doucet saw fit to give his two female leads lots of creative freedom. Katherine Rohrer’s portrayal of Hoffmann’s Muse was heartfelt, spontaneous, physically charged and sung with beauty and expression. Pamela Armstrong was an excellent match for the theatrical and vocal demands that came with the daunting task of realizing Hoffmann’s four female foils. As the great writer, Julian Gavin sang well but never found consistency in his characterization. Gaétan Laperrière’s performance as the four villains had neither the theatrical nor the vocal power to create the tension needed to enhance the opera’s drama.

The production greatly benefited from highly-charged performances by the remaining principals and the Opera Colorado Chorus, and, while the Colorado Symphony, led by Emmanuel Joel-Hornak, were accurate, they underplayed many of the more sumptuous moments in the score.

Tales of Hoffmann

When: 7:30 p.m. today, 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 950 13th St.

Tickets:  $30-$160; operacolorado.org