BaL 30.01.21 - Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel

[Ein Heldenleben]

Interesting point. Humperdinck in H&G is very much influenced by operas like Freischütz and Nicolai's Merry Wives of Windsor as well as Wagner, so I tend to agree with you. The profundity or otherwise of the drama is rather down to the original fairy story, I suppose? The ROH production certainly emphasised the dark side and I didn't particularly enjoy that – tenderness and humour were all but ignored. Of the productions I have seen, favourites are still the Vienna Volksoper one (still going strong –I saw it in 1986 when it was fairly new), and Pountney's ENO production which was a brilliant reinvention. I'd happily have taken children to either of those (indeed, when we went to see it in Vienna, it was delightful to be sat next to a girl who can't have been more than about 14 who had brought her younger brother along to watch it. They were both spellbound from start to finish, as were we).

I think the ROH over- egged the Freud and undercooked the comedy. They also introduced a few other fairy tale characters not always successfully.Wonderful sets though. I remember Philip Langridge being a splendid witch en travesti at the Met but I’m not sure the performance survives except on the Met streams..

[makropulos]

I'd almost agree with that, except to my ear there are many folk-inflected passages more reminiscent of Dvořák than Wagner, e.g. the opening duet.

Yes! And Nicolai, Weber, Cornelius, Mendelssohn... By no means just Wagner.

[mikealdren]

We saw a production in Stockholm a few years ago that had 2 witches, a mezzo singer and a male circus type performer who flew around the proceedings, on occasion they met and this only added to the humour of a very entertaining winter afternoon.

[underthecountertenor]

Always struck me as odd that Humperdinck is often listed as Wagner’s most obvious successor. Despite the beauty of the music is there anything profound in the drama ? I’ve only seen it once in the current ROH production - there’s a very dark side to it . Without getting all Freudian it gives me the creeps to be honest. I’m not sure I’d take a child to see it.

That's the very recent one that's had (I think) only one outing so far, isn't it? Some friends and I were approached by John Copley after the general rehearsal: he thought we might be connected with the ROH for some reason, and wanted to pass on his congratulations to the production team and performers. He said it was the best production of it he had seen in decades!

[LeMartinPecheur]

I remember Philip Langridge being a splendid witch en travesti at the Met but I’m not sure the performance survives except on the Met streams..

Heldenleben: Langridge's witch was issued on an EMI 'Met Opera' DVD recorded 1/1/2008 with Schafer and Coote in the title roles and Jurowski conducting . It seems to be NLA but Marketplace has one for £40.

[Ein Heldenleben]

That's the very recent one that's had (I think) only one outing so far, isn't it? Some friends and I were approached by John Copley after the general rehearsal: he thought we might be connected with the ROH for some reason, and wanted to pass on his congratulations to the production team and performers. He said it was the best production of it he had seen in decades!

To be honest I quite liked the production - particularly the vast chocolate factory but I though the tone overall too heavy - indeed Grimm. It was very well sung . My views might be jaundiced because I was in the amphitheatre toward the end of row c and the woman in front KEPT leaning forward and blocking my view ..

[Ein Heldenleben]

Heldenleben: Langridge's witch was issued on an EMI 'Met Opera' DVD recorded 1/1/2008 with Schafer and Coote in the title roles and Jurowski conducting . It seems to be NLA but Marketplace has one for £40.

Thanks it’s also as I thought on the Met website as a stream ...

[gurnemanz]

Not an opera that has interested me much over the years and I almost didn't listen. I was glad I did because the reviewer made an enthusiastic case for it. My wife, who is German, came in and unhelpfully said: Why are they doing Hänsel (Hensel) und Gretel (Graytel)? It's not Christmas. I was with her on restoring the umlaut.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Sufficiently re-enthused by Makropoulos's noble efforts this morning to be currently playing a charity-shop copy of the Lehmann, previously unspun. Didn't feel up to the R3 Faust, and this was one of my few CDs currently unpacked with house move imminent (hopefully). Very vivid and enjoyable so far, and less visually distracting than the Met DVD I mentioned above, of course!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Sufficiently re-enthused by Makropoulos's noble efforts this morning to be currently playing a charity-shop copy of the Lehmann, previously unspun. Didn't feel up to the R3 Faust, and this was one of my few CDs currently unpacked with house move imminent (hopefully). Very vivid and enjoyable so far, and less visually distracting than the Met DVD I mentioned above, of course!

The Faust is pretty good...

[ardcarp]

Not an opera that has interested me much over the years and I almost didn't listen. I was glad I did because the reviewer made an enthusiastic case for it. My wife, who is German, came in and unhelpfully said: Why are they doing Hänsel (Hensel) und Gretel (Graytel)? It's not Christmas. I was with her on restoring the umlaut.

I feel rather the same about H&G. I wonder why we didn't get the most famous bit, "Tap tap tap, clap clap clap", where Gretel is teaching Hansel (sorry no umlaut) how to dance. However I have two personal comments about it.
1. My wife, who went to a small village school, was introduced to 'tunes' from it by that wonderful 'Singing Together' programme with William Appleby...and thus has an affection for it.
2. I can understand the German affection for it because as a six-year-old, I went to Germany with my family to stay with some friends (a German family) who lived in Bad Niederbreisig in the Rhineland area. There was a huge obsession with fairy tales, witches, Rhine Maidens and all that stuff, and the German father insisted on taking us to a local 'Fairy Wood' full off grottos illustrating local folklore, some quite scary. Listening to BAL today left me wondering who H&G was written for. Children? Surely not a full-length heavy-duty opera for them? Or just adults imbued with all that Rhineland folklore.

I've rambled (as usual) but I shall not be rushing out to buy a CD !

[Nick Armstrong]

Can I just say what a continuing delight it is to have you amongst us, Nigel.

Very much echoed here.

Despite not being a massive opera person, I enjoyed this BAL a lot, about a piece of which my knowledge was limited... I was seduced when it came out by the Tate and have the 74 minute ‘highlights’ disc from EMI on the shelf.

Not entirely convinced I need the whole thing - the gorgeous ‘best bits’ will probably do for me.

But I’ve cued the Suitner up on Qobuz because the opening extract really tickled my ears, as I love that Dresden horn sound .... and I liked the sound of Schreier camping it up!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I feel rather the same about H&G. I wonder why we didn't get the most famous bit, "Tap tap tap, clap clap clap", where Gretel is teaching Hansel (sorry no umlaut) how to dance. However I have two personal comments about it.
1. My wife, who went to a small village school, was introduced to 'tunes' from it by that wonderful 'Singing Together' programme with William Appleby...and thus has an affection for it.
2. I can understand the German affection for it because as a six-year-old, I went to Germany with my family to stay with some friends (a German family) who lived in Bad Niederbreisig in the Rhineland area.

It was on the flipside of the famous Nymphs and Shepherds recording with the Manchester Children's Choir, the Halle Orchestra and Sir Hamilton Harty. I always tell people that it was the Nymphs and Shepherds recording that switched me on to classical music at the age of 6 or 7, but now I realise that it was "Brother, Come and Dance with Me", that our primary school teacher played to us. (She had been one of the singers on the recording.) Apparently there was some concern that the accents of the Manchester children would be an issue, so the words were written phonetically - "Brother, come and darnce with me".

[mikealdren]

Very much echoed here.

Despite not being a massive opera person, I enjoyed this BAL a lot, about a piece of which my knowledge was limited... I was seduced when it came out by the Tate and have the 74 minute ‘highlights’ disc from EMI on the shelf.

Not entirely convinced I need the whole thing - the gorgeous ‘best bits’ will probably do for me.

But I’ve cued the Suitner up on Qobuz because the opening extract really tickled my ears, as I love that Dresden horn sound .... and I liked the sound of Schreier camping it up!

I started with that sampler and went on to buy the complete Tate set, there's so much good music in this opera that it was a good move. Definitely not one of those works with lots of padding.

[mikealdren]

I feel rather the same about H&G. I wonder why we didn't get the most famous bit, "Tap tap tap, clap clap clap", where Gretel is teaching Hansel (sorry no umlaut) how to dance. However I have two personal comments about it.
1. My wife, who went to a small village school, was introduced to 'tunes' from it by that wonderful 'Singing Together' programme with William Appleby...and thus has an affection for it.
2. I can understand the German affection for it because as a six-year-old, I went to Germany with my family to stay with some friends (a German family) who lived in Bad Niederbreisig in the Rhineland area. There was a huge obsession with fairy tales, witches, Rhine Maidens and all that stuff, and the German father insisted on taking us to a local 'Fairy Wood' full off grottos illustrating local folklore, some quite scary. Listening to BAL today left me wondering who H&G was written for. Children? Surely not a full-length heavy-duty opera for them? Or just adults imbued with all that Rhineland folklore.

I've rambled (as usual) but I shall not be rushing out to buy a CD !

The famous Manchester Children's Choir with Hamilton Harty was played such a lot when I was younger, you rarely hear it nowadays but I have it on a CD of Children's Favourites.