Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario who became the defining figure of 19th-century operetta. Born Jacob Eberst in Cologne, he moved to Paris as a teenager and spent his career there, producing nearly 100 operettas whose sharp wit and satirical edge lampooned Napoleon III's Second Empire. His final work, the opera Les contes d'Hoffmann, left unfinished at his death and completed by Ernest Guiraud, remains a cornerstone of the standard repertory.
A new Royal Opera House production of The Tales of Hoffmann, directed by Damiano Michieletto and conducted by Antonello Manacorda with Juan Diego Flórez in the title role, was released on Blu-ray and DVD in November 2025.
The Opéra Royal de Versailles staged La vie parisienne in its original 1866 version, reconstructed from the Théâtre du Palais-Royal archives, running from 27 December 2025 to 4 January 2026.
The Volksoper Wien is presenting Hoffmanns Erzählungen in June 2026, with multiple performances directed by Lotte de Beer and conducted by Ben Glassberg.
The Opéra-Comique in Paris is staging Les contes d'Hoffmann in September-October 2026, the very house where the opera had its posthumous world premiere in 1881.
Barrie Kosky's production of Orpheus in der Unterwelt, a co-production with the Salzburg Festival and Deutsche Oper am Rhein, opens at the Komische Oper Berlin in October 2026 with performances running through December.
Offenbach's beloved opera "The Tales of Hoffmann" takes the stage at Oper Graz, weaving a romantic and fantastical tale of love, illusion, and obsession.
Jacques Offenbach's classical opera about the magical adventures of poet Hoffmann across three acts.
Public dress rehearsal of Jacques Offenbach's celebrated opera at Vienna's Volksoper.
