Alexandra Coghlan

I doubt Goethe intended Werther’s sorrows to be as unremitting as this

But English Touring Opera offers relief with their transgressive romp through Tales of Hoffmann

issue 24 October 2015
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  • Werther

    English Touring Opera, until 18 November

  • The Tales of Hoffmann

    English Touring Opera, until 21 November

There are some things the French do better than everyone else. Cheese, military defeats and extra-marital affairs are a given, but what about opera? English Touring Opera’s autumn tour sets out a tasting plate of the nation’s Romantic finest, hoping to persuade audiences that there’s more to France than just Carmen.

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