from Act I of the French opera
Les Contes d'Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach
Libretto: Jules Barbier
Role: Nicklausse, the friend of Hoffmann
Voice Part: mezzo-soprano Fach: lyric mezzo
Setting: The parlor room of Spalanzani the scientist, 19th century
Synopsis: Nicklausse sings this "cautionary tale" to Hoffmann to warn Hoffmann from falling too deeply in love with "la belle Olympia" who, Nicklausse implies very clearly, is not at all what she seems.