BaL 30.01.21 - Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel

[Cockney Sparrow]

Saturday morning - the only way listening to Record review works here is to have Sounds playing on the mobile to a (reasonably decent) bluetooth speaker. It can be paused at interruptions and then resumed etc.

I'm acquainted with the piece but its not been a regular piece to see and hear live. The excerpts were great examples of the performers and very enticing. I'll have to investigate Tate, Solti and Mackerras (Naxos Music Lib / other streamers will probably serve, plus remaining trial period of Amazon Prime music) with potential additions to the Karajan on my groaning CD racks....

Its been an absolute pleasure to listen to this BAL. Informative and very engaging. I'll be listening again on my main audio system.

[Maclintick]

Our very own Mr Makropulos delivers another superb BaL, pretty much beyond criticism. So completely on top of his subject!

Agreed. Plenty of excerpts, choices well-justified, & entertainingly delivered. Damn ! I'm going to have to shell out for the Tate -- pretty much a full-price download on Presto or second-hand CDs on Amazon (£11)

[Bryn]

Our very own Mr Makropulos delivers another superb BaL, pretty much beyond criticism. So completely on top of his subject!

I listened, more out of duty, I must admit. The work's merits and those of its several recordings were certainly well presented by Nigel, but sorry, not a work I desire to add to my 'library'.

[makropulos]

Agreed. Plenty of excerpts, choices well-justified, & entertainingly delivered. Damn ! I'm going to have to shell out for the Tate -- pretty much a full-price download on Presto or second-hand CDs on Amazon (£11)

Thanks very much for the very nice comments.
I should try to grab one of the second hand copies of the real CDs that are (or were yesterday) still available on leading retail and online auction sites.

[makropulos]

I listened, more out of duty, I must admit. The work's merits and those of its several recordings were certainly well presented by Nigel, but sorry, not a work I desire to add to my 'library'.

Each to their own, Bryn! It's a piece that certainly has its detractors as well as devoted enthusiasts.

[Ein Heldenleben]

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.

[Pulcinella]

Our very own Mr Makropulos delivers another superb BaL, pretty much beyond criticism. So completely on top of his subject!

Another voice in agreement.
Many thanks for giving us such an interesting survey.

[MickyD]

I don't know the work at all and was certainly grateful to make its aquaintance this morning in such a well presented BAL.

[makropulos]

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.

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).

[makropulos]

Another voice in agreement.
Many thanks for giving us such an interesting survey.

Thanks Pulcinella. One advantage of current circumstances is that I had plenty of time to listen and prepare! Very glad you enjoyed it.

[Wolfram]

Thanks Pulcinella. One advantage of current circumstances is that I had plenty of time to listen and prepare! Very glad you enjoyed it.

I agree with those above who have aleady posted, it was an excellent BaL this morning. Thank you Makropulos for a broad and expert thought provoking survey. You manged to get quite a wide range of the avaialble recordings included in the time available - so it obviously can be done in this format. I won't be getting rid of the Solti, or the Eichhorn for that matter, any time soon, but will be adding the add Tate to them on the evidence from this morning.

By the way, when is your next one?

[Belgrove]

Thanks to macropulos for giving such a splendid and knowledgeable survey of this evergreen work. I have the versions by Tate and Ticciati and am well satisfied by them. The Glyndebourne staging was pretty radical, being a satire on consumerism. I agree that Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke’s Witch is perhaps not ideal for listening on disc, but was splendidly unsettling in a trashy kind-of-way on stage. Both Tate and Ticciati bring out the beauties in the score without sentimentality or cloying. The best Wagnerian opera Wagner never wrote.

[makropulos]

I agree with those above who have aleady posted, it was an excellent BaL this morning. Thank you Makropulos for a broad and expert thought provoking survey. You manged to get quite a wide range of the avaialble recordings included in the time available - so it obviously can be done in this format. I won't be getting rid of the Solti, or the Eichhorn for that matter, any time soon, but will be adding the add Tate to them on the evidence from this morning.

By the way, when is your next one?

Thanks. I certainly won't be getting rid of Eichhorn either (though I do wish he'd had anyone-other-than-Anna-Moffo as Gretel and a less gimmicky sound engineer), or Solti, or Suitner. But I hope you enjoy Tate as much as I do.

[makropulos]

Thanks to macropulos for giving such a splendid and knowledgeable survey of this evergreen work. I have the versions by Tate and Ticciati and am well satisfied by them. The Glyndebourne staging was pretty radical, being a satire on consumerism. I agree that Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke’s Witch is perhaps not ideal for listening on disc, but was splendidly unsettling in a trashy kind-of-way on stage. Both Tate and Ticciati bring out the beauties in the score without sentimentality or cloying. The best Wagnerian opera Wagner never wrote.

That's kind of you. With Tate and Ticciati you've certainly got two of the best, and I'm with you all the way on the conducting of both. I also agree that a male witch can work a treat in the theatre (even though Humperdinck never sanctioned it), but not so much on a recording.

[Maclintick]

The best Wagnerian opera Wagner never wrote.

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.