From left: Yury Vorobyov as Crispel and Ildar Abdrazakov as Doctor Miracle in Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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From left: Andrey Ilyushnikov as Schlémil,Yeakaterina Solovyova as Giulietta, Sergei Semishkur as Hoffman in a scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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From left in the foreground: Sergei Semishkur as Hoffman, Ildar Abdrazakov as Lindorf, and Yekaterina Sergeyeva as Nicklausse, back, in a scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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From left: Sergei Semishkur as Hoffman and Ildar Abdrazakov as Lindorf in a scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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A scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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From left in the foreground: Sergei Semishkur as Hoffman, Ildar Abdrazakov as Lindorf, and Yekaterina Sergeyeva as Nicklausse, back, in a scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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Sergei Semishkur, front in the center, as Hoffman in a scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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Sergei Semishkur, front center, as Hoffman in a scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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Sergei Semishkur, center, as Hoffman in a scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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A scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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From left in the foreground: Sergei Semishkur as Hoffman and Oksana Shilova as Antonia with Yulia Ivanova as Stella, back, in a scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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Ildar Abdrazakov as Dr Miracle in Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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Svetlana Shilova, left, as Antonia in Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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From left: Larisa Gogolevskaya as Natina's mother's voice and Svetlana Shilova as Antonia in Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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Svetlana Shilova as Antonia and Yury Vorobyov as Crespel in Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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Sergei Semishkur, center, as Hoffman in Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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Yekaterina Solovyova as Giulietta and Sergei Semishkur as Hoffman in Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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A scene from Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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Ildar Abdrazakov as Dapertutto and Yekaterina Solovyova as Giulietta in Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffman" directed by Vasily Barkhatov at the Mariinsky Theater.

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