Fairy opera in three acts by Engelbert Humperdinck,
Text by Adelheid Wette
The fairy tale Hansel and Gretel is one of the most popular tales of the Brothers Grimm. Engelbert Humperdincks fairy-tale opera of the same name, first performed in Weimar in 1893, enjoyed a similar popularity. Librettist Adelheid Wette, the composers sister, made a number of changes in her treatment of the material. Hansel and Gretel accidentally break a jug of milk while playing. Their mother, who had planned to use the milk for making porridge, sends them into the forest to pick some berries for supper instead. The children get lost in the forest and ultimately end up in the clutches of a gingerbread witch who has already caught a host of other children and turned them into gingerbread. She has similar plans for Hansel and Gretel: baking the boy in the oven and making a maidservant out of the girl. With a bit of cunning the two children manage to foil the evil witchs plans, freeing not only themselves but all the gingerbread children.
Though its catchy motifs clearly reveal the influence of Wagner, Humperdincks score attains an expressiveness all its own. The inventive melodies suggest a deep-rootedness in German folk culture, whereas, in fact, Humperdinck borrowed directly from only three folk songs.
Performance Times
6th Dec 08 @ 19:00
20th Dec 08 @ 19:00
21st Dec 08 @ 15:00
The Dresden State Operetta is one of the few light musical theatres in Europe.
The theatre is unique for cultivating the legacy of Johann Strauss.
The State Operettas varied programme of operettas, light operas and musicals focuses on classics such as The Beggar Student, The Csrds Princess and The Land of Smiles, but also The Magic Flute, the swing musical Anything Goes and the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.
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