Tales of Hoffmann (1942)

The first performance of Georg Kirsta's (1900–1955) and Frank Staff's (1918–1971) Tales of Hoffmann (Jacques Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann, 1881) took place at London's Strand Theatre in March 1942. This was not a matter of course, as the war had an impact on the British opera business. As a result of the bombing raids, many opera houses were forced to suspend or reduce their activities. As a result, performances also took place at unconventional venues outside of theatres.

The Tales of Hoffmann production, which premiered as a matinee at the Strand Theatre in London on 2 March 1942 at 15:00, was again with the support of Kirsta's patron George Franckenstein (1878–1953). Franckenstein also paved the way for La Bien Aimeé to be performed at the George VI Coronation celebrations in 1937, and the agreement with King George's War Fund for Sailors created a protégé relationship.

The series of performances in the first half of 1942 at London's Strand Theatre was described as a ‘record-breaking run’ on advertising posters during the subsequent tour.

In the first half of the 1940s, London theatre was marked by the effects of the Second World War. This was reflected both in the challenging circumstances of staging and in the selection of the works performed. The theatre programmes sported a mixture of subjects that provided distraction from the war and solicited patriotic support.

In the March 1942 issue of the magazine Free Austria, the London Opera Orchestra with choir was named as the musical designers.
The opera tour was presented by Albion Operas, Ltd. The first performance at the Strand in London was followed by a tour of cities throughout Great Britain. This approach was typical of the English profit-oriented production system. If the programme at the London theatres was no longer attended by enough spectators, the production went on a tour outside the London-centric theatre system, sometimes with train carriages full of set elements. 

The opera was performed in English, for which Edward Agate (1880-1940) provided the translation and Oliver Moore (b. and d. unknown) wrote the additional text.
Even before the prologue, the role of Offenbach, inserted by Kirsta, appeared in place of Count Lindorf, accompanied by the strolling Andreas. Kirsta also shifted around the individual narratives within the plot. This necessitated a change in the sequence of the opera acts. The new sequence initially envisaged Hoffmann's perseverance with the mechanical doll Olympia, followed by his second love affair with the Venetian courtesan Giulietta. The third act describes Hoffmann's futile love for the sick singer Antonia.

Coppelius, Dapertutto and Dr Miracle acted in the gestures of Offenbach, who had appeared earlier.

Through the fantasy elements within the plot and the interplay of music, ballet, drama, stage and lighting design, the opera performance presented the audience with a variety of narrative forms.

The graphic above shows Hoffmann and Helena side by side in their typical poses.

By combining Tales of Hoffmann with parts of La Belle Hélène (1864), a dramaturgically highly condensed work was created. The director and producer Kirsta made further changes to the interplay of Jacques Offenbach's (1819–1880) operas. For example, the opera La Belle Hélène was performed in the fictional theatre near Luther's tavern in 1942, not the opera Don Giovanni (1787) as written by Jacques Offenbach and Jules Barbier (1825–1901) in the original libretto. The opera alluded to in the prologue was actually performed in the third act.
The transition from Tales of Hoffmann to La Belle Hélène was provided by Niklaus Hoffmann asking why, instead of telling stories, he did not go upstairs from the pub in the theatre cellar to the real theatre. Then, in the extended extract from La Belle Hélenè, Hoffmann himself became Paris. In a reenactment of the Judgement of Paris, Hoffmann decided which of the three deities Juno, Minerva or Venus should receive the apple from him, symbolising the attestation of the greatest beauty.

The premiere took place on 17 December 1864 at the Théâtre des Variétés in Paris. The libretto for the three-act comic opera La Belle Hélène, also composed by Jacques Offenbach, was written by Henri Meilhac (1831-1897) and Ludovic Halévy (1834-1908).

In Jacques Offenbach's grand opera, the poet Hoffmann and the composer Offenbach become the main characters in their own works. The character Offenbach, added by Kirsta, then played an antagonist in each of the four narratives. These villains were thus also performed by the same singer. Paris, again as Hoffmann, and Helena, again as Stelle, finally came together in the last scene.

The first musical number of the intermezzo La Belle Hélène was On Mount Ida (1864) and was realised as a ballet with many jumps by members of the later Ballet Rambert.

The performances ended with an arrangement consisting of parts of La Belle Hélène and a modified epilogue from Tales of Hoffmann.

The series of performances at London's Strand Theatre (March/April 1942) featured as stage actors:Staff (Paris), Sally Gilmour (1921-2004, Juno), Elisabeth Schooling (1915-1998, Minerva), Sarah Luzita (b. 1922, Venus), Pauline Clayden (b. 1922, Angel), Sylvia Haydn (1922-2014, Angel), Mary Gornell (b. and d. unknown) Angel), Brenda Hamlyn (1925-2019, Angel), Joan McClalland (b. and d. unknown, Angel), Olivia Sarel (b. and d. unknown, Angel), Margaret Scott (b. 1922, Angel), Marguerite Steward (b. and d. unknown, Angel), Rosemary Young (1930-2019, Angel) and Joan Tribe (b. and d. unknown, Olympia, narrator).

LITERATURE:

»Der Zweite Weltkrieg«, Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, http://tinyurl.com/ysrb5cge, accessed 08/01/2024

Head, June, ‘Hoffmann's Tales Enchant London's Eyes and Ears’, in: Picture Post, pp. 15-17

‘Lot 558: George Kirsta, Russian mid 20th [sic] century- [sic] Costume’, Invaluable, https://bit.ly/3KVGdzz, accessed 05.01.2023

Offenbach, Jacques et al, Les Contes d'Hoffmann/Tales of Hoffmann. Original Text and English Translation, Opera in Three Acts, G. Shirmer, Hal Leonard, New York et al. 1959/1973 (G. Schirmer's collection of opera librettos)

Offenbach, Jacques et al, La Belle Hélène. Opéra bouffe en trois actes, Alkor, Kassel 2008

Palmer, Fiona, ‘The Musical Conductors’ Association:. Collective Podium Power in Wartime Britain?’, in: Music and Letters 102/3 (2021), https://tinyurl.com/2me5376v, accessed 28/06/2024, pp. 559-598 

SMMC-Collection Kirsta, poster for Tales of Hoffmann, advertising poster, London, Salzburg, Box 4/Folder Operas and Ballet, accessed 06/06/2024

SMMC-Collection Kirsta, The Loves of Hoffmann, magazine article, London, Salzburg, Box 4/Folder Letters etc, accessed 22/09/2024

Free Austria, 01.03.1942, ‘Theatre and Music. Offenbach's ‘Tales of Hoffmann’ in London’, https://bit.ly/3LBshLD, accessed 20/03/2023

University of Bristol Theatre Archive, programme notes for the Tales of Hoffmann performances from 23.03.1942 to 28.03.1942 at London's Strand Theatre, programme notes, London, University of Bristol Theatre Archive, Bristol, MM-2-TH-LO-STR-12-51-P1, accessed 22/09/2024

University of Bristol Theatre Archive, part of the opera programme booklet for the Tales of Hoffmann performance on 02.03.1942 at the Strand Theatre in London (main roles and prologue), programme booklet, London, University of Bristol Theatre Archive, Bristol, MM-2-TH-LO-STR-12-52-PP2-3, accessed 06/06/2024