Hänsel und Gretel

Fairy-tale opera in three acts based on a libretto by Adelheid Wette

Leaving their household chores unfinished, the children start dancing wildly in the kitchen – and then a jug of milk breaks: Fed up, their mother sends Hansel and Gretel to the forest to gather berries. Their father returns home in unusually high spirits, bringing treats:

 “Ham and butter, flour and sausage, eggs (a dozen!), turnips, onions and – for me! – nearly half a pound of tea!” – This will make a rare feast for the poor broom-maker’s family. But why haven’t the children come back by now? The parents rush out to look for them, because the forest is a dangerous place for little children: Everybody knows that it is haunted by the evil Gingerbread Witch! Meanwhile, Hansel and Gretel have gone astray in the spooky forest, where they encounter strange creatures.

“Hansel and Gretel” is one of the most popular and most frequently performed operas in the world. The work has fascinated audiences of all ages ever since its world premiere on 23 December 1893, which was conducted by Engelbert Humperdinck’s close friend Richard Strauss. Its success may be due to the fact that “Hansel and Gretel” was originally composed as a private family play for the children of the Wettes, Humperdinck’s nieces and nephews, before the composer turned it into a full-length opera.

After creating a singspiel version, Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921) completed the full-length opera in 1893. Its impressive orchestral sound vividly imitates the eerie noises and shadows of a forest at night-time. The work’s folksong-like tunes, such as “Ein Männlein steht im Walde”, are as memorable as the songs of the Gingerbread Witch or the “Evening Benediction”, which forms a leitmotif in the Wagnerian sense, reappearing throughout the play.

Thomas Mika has presented productions in Moscow, Paris, at the Milan Scala, the Vienna State Opera and the Zurich Opera House. For the Salzburg State Theatre, he directed the double bill of Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta / The Nutcracker”, for which he also designed the stage and costumes. Similarly, he is responsible for the overall production of “Hansel and Gretel”. Musical director Leslie Suganandarajah conducts the Mozarteum Orchestra.

Duration: 2h / one intermission

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