Metropolitan Opera- Hansel and Gretel

Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel is an opera for all ages, as proven by all the children sitting in their parent’s lap tonight. Children are the only people who can whisper or even talk during a performance at the Met without being hushed. This is not to be mistaken for kid’s theatre, as the music pleases both amateurs and musicologists alike. This beautifully mature yet playful music is Wagner-like, without the exhaustion and the apocalypse. Humperdinck’s tutorage from Wagner is evident by his use of leitmotifs, though he did not use nearly as many as Wagner. This production, (directed by Richard Jones, with sets and costumes by John Macfarlane) is a beautifully creative fairy-tale. Forest characters with tree-trunk heads, a doll-like home that utilizes only a fraction of the Met stage for the first act, a tenor playing the Witch, ridiculously bloated chefs, junk food galore - this is a production designed to please and spur the imagination. There is no tragedy, no bombastically overwhelming music, no emotionally wrenching arias. Yet this is no frivolous yet stylish operetta. Both Miah Persson as Gretel, and Angelika Kirchschlager as Hansel sang beautifully as their voices soared over the orchestra with a childlike conviction that is unique to this opera. Remember when we were children and legitimately thought we could do or be anything? This opera almost makes us believe that again. It is no wonder that Hansel and Gretel was the first complete opera to be broadcast on radio, and the first to be transmitted live from the Met. Humperdinck’s most memorable work has held a strong place in the opera repertoire since its’ premiere, and with the help of this production there is no sign of if fading anytime soon.