Jacques Offenbach's operatic masterpiece "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" (The Tales of Hoffmann) is set to return to the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing this July.

Its version originally premiered in 2013, but this year's production, marking Offenbach's 200th birthday is of special significance. 

Wei Lanfen, NCPA production director, told a press conference on Thursday that, "the best commemoration for an opera master is to stage his compositions".

During his life, Offenbach wrote over 100 operettas and was a gifted violin and cello player by the age of six. His aptitude for suggestive humor, satirical jibes and melody brought him international recognition during his lifetime, and his work has been staged all over the world ever since.

"The Tales of Hoffmann" was Offenbach's final work; he passed away in October 1880, just four months before its release. It is considered a masterpiece of French romanticism.

Set in Luther's tavern in Munich, the protagonist, Hoffmann, with his friend Nicklausse, relate the story of three unfortunate love affairs. What follows is a journey into the surreal, the strange and the magical.

"The Doll Song" performed by the mechanical doll Olympia – played by Zhang Wenqin and Daria Terekhova in this production – is widely considered to be one of the most difficult pieces ever written for a soprano.

The NCPA production promises to rise to the challenge with a collection of staunch foreign and Chinese singers, a 100-plus chorus, a full orchestra and an imaginative array of props and visual effects. 

Peter Sonn and Chen Yong share the title role of Hoffmann with Paola Gardina and Zhang Yajie doing the same for Nicklausse, and Dmitry Ulyanov and Wu Wei doubling up as the four villains. 

The show will run July 10-14, 2019.

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