Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel

Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel

Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel
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CD Details

Performer: Raimund Herincx
Composer: Engelbert [Classical] Humperdinck
Composer: Richard [Classical] Wagner
Conductor: Colin Davis
Conductor: Mario Bernardi
Performer: Patricia Kern
Orchestra: Sadler's Wells Opera Orchestra
Orchestra: Sinfonia of London Orchestra
Performer: Elisabeth Robinson
Performer: Jenifer Eddy
Performer: Margaret Neville
Performer: Rita Hunter
Edition: Music CD
Music CD: Region Code 0
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2003-09-02
Audience Rating: Unrated
Music Label: Class. for Pleas. Us
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. Overture
  2. Susie, Little Susie
  3. That's Right! Now If You Leave Off Complaining
  4. Brother, Come And Dance With Me
  5. Hello!...Heavens!
  6. Off! Off To The Woods!
  7. Tra La La La, Tra La La La
  8. Ha Ha! Who's Sing-Sing-Singing?
  9. But Say Now Where Are The Children?
  10. My Children Astray In The Haunted Wood
  11. An Old Witch Within That Wood Doth Dwell
  12. The Witch's Ride
  13. There Stands A Little Man
  14. Hurrah! My Strawberry Basket Is Nearly Brim-Full!
  15. Gretel, I Cannot Find The Way
  16. The Sandman, Children Call Me
  17. When At Night I Go To Sleep
  18. Dream Pantomime
Music CD 2
  1. Prelude
  2. I'm Up With Early Dawning
  3. Where Am I?
  4. Be Still!
  5. Nibble, Nibble Mousekin
  6. I Am Rosina Daintymouth
  7. Halt!...Hocus-Pocus
  8. Now, Gretel, Be Obedient
  9. So Hop, Hop, Hop
  10. Up, Awake, My Mankin
  11. Hurrah! Now See The Witch Is Dead
  12. At Last We're Free!
  13. Ah! Here They Are At Last!
  14. Siegfried Idyll - Sinfonia Of London

Music reviews of Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel

Music Review: An Operatic Treasure
Rating: 5 Stars

There are some splendid recordings of this opera in the original German, especially the one conducted by Kurt Eichhorn, but this one is treasurable in its own right. Conductor Mario Bernardi shares with Eichhorn the true measure of how the score should go. They both lead this delightful work better than any of the more famous maestros who lead it in other recordings. Originating in a 1963 production by the Sadler's Wells Opera, it is sung in English. This is a strong plus for me, since I learned from Boris Goldovsky to approach opera as drama, not as a concert, and audience appreciation of opera as drama starts with understanding the text as its sung, not from following a printed translation. The Constance Bache translation used here is sometimes criticized as old fashioned, but I think it's far more agreeable than one using contemporary colloquialisms or slang would be. It can even be heard as "distancing" the proceedings slightly, which is appropriate for a fairytale. (It's worth noting that, in his oft-quoted description of opera as "exotic and irrational," Dr. Johnson was not referring to opera as a whole, but to opera sung in Italian to English-speaking audiences in London; those who quote him seldom make that clear.)
The Sadler's Wells cast is very fine. As Hansel and Gretel, Patricia Kern and Margaret Neville are lively and involved in the drama, and they don't make the mistake of adopting any of the vocal mannerisms sometimes used by others in these roles to try to sound like children. (It never works because the music wasn't composed for children to sing.) Rita Hunter and Raimund Herincx as the young parents show the solid qualities of singing and interpretation that earned them international admiration later in their careers.
The Witch offers the widest range of possibilities for interpretation. She can begin harmlessly and turn terrifying abruptly. She can begin by insinuating herself slyly with the children and slowly turn menacing. She can start out as a doddering grandma and slip into nastiness once the children are where she wants them. There is even a tradition in Europe to cast a tenor singing falsetto, which can work on stage; Nathaniel Merrill followed the tradition successfully in his production at the Metropolitan years ago.
In this recording Ann Howard takes a straightforward approach. She manages the change from elderly innocence into a monster nicely with vocal coloration and attention to the words. She delivers some effective cackles and threatening whispers, but young listeners probably wouldn't find her very frightening. (The only truly scary Witch I've heard is Marjana Lipovsek in the recording led by Jeffrey Tate.)
This recording got a national endorsement of sorts years ago when live Met broadcasts could not start on schedule because of a strike. The sponsor went ahead with the broadcast series using commercial recordings, including the original LP release of this one.
Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll" conducted by Sir Colin Davis fills out the second disc. The choice is not as odd as it might at first seem. Humperdinck was strongly influenced by Wagner (he worked at Bayreuth), and Wagner's piece was written as a serenade to his wife on the birth of their son, Siegfried. The performance is nothing special, but it's a nice added sweetmeat.
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