Description
Humperdinck - Hansel und Gretel / EuroArts / Live from the Sempoper Dresden / Sachsische Staatskapelle Dresden / Arte Edition / Michael Hofstetter / Directed for stage by Katharina Thalbach / Chorus Master Andreas Heinze / 2007 DVD
Total Runtime: 108 Minutes
Region 0 NTSC
Made in E.U.
UPC 880242558886
- Aspect Ratio : 1.77:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : Unrated (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 5.39 x 0.67 x 7.6 inches; 4.55 Ounces
- Director : Katharina Thalbach
- Media Format : Multiple Formats, NTSC, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Subtitled
- Run time : 1 hour and 48 minutes
- Release date : April 24, 2007
- Actors : Iris Vermillon, Antigone Papoulkas, Anna Gabler, Hans-Joachim Ketelsen, Michael Hofstetter
- Subtitles: : German, English, Spanish, French
- Studio : EuroArts
- Country of Origin : France
- Number of discs : 1
Hansel and Gretel (German: Hänsel und Gretel) is an opera by nineteenth-century composer Engelbert Humperdinck, who described it as a Märchenoper (fairy-tale opera). The libretto was written by Humperdinck's sister, Adelheid Wette, based on the Grimm brothers' fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel". It is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes, one of the most famous being the "Abendsegen" ("Evening Benediction") from act 2.
The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister, who approached him about writing music for songs that she had written for her children for Christmas based on "Hansel and Gretel". After several revisions, the musical sketches and the songs were turned into a full-scale opera.
Humperdinck composed Hansel and Gretel in Frankfurt in 1891 and 1892. The opera was first performed in the Hoftheater in Weimar on 23 December 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss. It has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances and today it is still most often performed at Christmas time.
Even though this is an opera for kids, there's plenty of adult-pleasing content, from gorgeous melodies to a rich, Wagnerian orchestration full of colour and texture. -- Toronto Star, John Terauds, June 12th, 2007
On DVD, the Met's current Richard Jones production, sung in English, is given a sparkling performance, led by Vladimir Jurowski (EMI); Alice Coote, Christine Schäfer and Philip Langridge head the cast, as they did at the production's 2007 house premiere. Of even more recent vintage is Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser's Covent Garden production (Opus Arte), sung in German and led with benevolent authority by Colin Davis; Anja Silja's energetic Witch menaces Diana Damrau (Gretel) and Angelika Kirchschlager (Hänsel). Also appealing are Katharina Thalbach's 2006 staging at Dresden State Opera (EuroArts) and August Everding's lovely 1981 film, in German, with Georg Solti and the Vienna Philharmonic on the soundtrack. -- Opera News
