Les Contes d’Hoffmann live from the Royal Opera

The Royal Opera’s lavish production of Offenbach’s masterpiece Les Contes d’Hoffmann will be broadcast live tomorrow in St Julian’s.

Created by Academy award-winning film director John Schlesinger, this production brings alive a 19th-century world of romance, comedy, mystery and menace.

Charismatic Vittorio Grigolo in the title role leads an excellent cast, including Thomas Hampson, Sonya Yoncheva, Christine Rice and Sofia Fomina in this fantastical operatic drama. At the centre of these extraordinary tales of clockwork dolls, magical glasses, a ghostly voice and sensual courtesans, is the vivid imagination of the drunken Romantic poet Hoffmann.

The opera follows Hoffmann as he tells the story of his lovers who, he believes, have all been stolen by a succession of arch-villains played by the superb Hampson.

The music includes the famous Barcarolle. The stunning showpiece numbers show the vocal virtuosity of Fomina as the clockwork doll Olympia, Rice as the courtesan Giulietta and Yoncheva as Antonia.

■  The live broadcast is taking place at Eden Cinema in St Julian’s tomorrow at 7.15pm with an encore screening on Sunday, November 20 at 3pm. The opera is sung in French with English subtitles. Tickets are avail-able from www.edencinemas.com.mt or the Eden Cinema box office and include a complimentary glass of wine and parking at the Eden Leisure car park.