Crunch, Crunch, Crunch
Hansel and Gretel
Engelbert Humperdinck
Last Chance
This fairy tale opera is perfect for a special family outing that brings together children, parents and grandparents, as well as opera aficionados and newcomers alike. With humour, warmth and a keen sense of how children see the world, this production tells a story of courage, sibling love and the power of solidarity. When good triumphs in the end, it leaves behind a feeling of comfort, confidence and that fairy-tale magic that connects generations.
Engelbert Humperdinck's classic opera is an experience for everyone who loves fairy tales – touching, exciting and full of wonder. Its colourful music transports you to a world of magic and emotional depth, inviting young and old alike to marvel, laugh and share in the excitement.
Engelbert Humperdinck's classic opera is an experience for everyone who loves fairy tales – touching, exciting and full of wonder. Its colourful music transports you to a world of magic and emotional depth, inviting young and old alike to marvel, laugh and share in the excitement.
In Dagmar Manzel's imaginative production, the famous opera becomes a living dreamscape in which playfulness and seriousness, fear and poetry lie close together. Dancing trees, mysterious forest creatures and the lively witch's cottage of Rosina Leckermaul, the gingerbread witch, transform the forest into a place of wonder.
Act 1
»Make some brooms and knit some socks!« is what they were supposed to do, but Hänsel and Gretel would much rather romp and dance around. Their mother is not amused – no work has been done, though money is short and there’s nothing left to eat in the house. Because everyone’s tummy is rum- bling, mother rashly sends the children out into the forest to collect berries.
Father returns from the market in high spirits. He did a roaring trade with his brooms and has brought home plenty of food for supper. But where are the kids? When he hears they’ve gone roaming in the forest all alone, he’s horrified. Everybody knows that’s where the Gingerbread Witch lives – and she eats children!
»Make some brooms and knit some socks!« is what they were supposed to do, but Hänsel and Gretel would much rather romp and dance around. Their mother is not amused – no work has been done, though money is short and there’s nothing left to eat in the house. Because everyone’s tummy is rum- bling, mother rashly sends the children out into the forest to collect berries.
Father returns from the market in high spirits. He did a roaring trade with his brooms and has brought home plenty of food for supper. But where are the kids? When he hears they’ve gone roaming in the forest all alone, he’s horrified. Everybody knows that’s where the Gingerbread Witch lives – and she eats children!
Act 2
Hänsel and Gretel find lots of strawberries and are intrigued by the many strange beings in the forest. But when they realise they are lost, the mood suddenly changes: the woods become dark and full of menace. It looks like Hänsel und Gretel will have to spend the night out of doors. Then the Sandman appears and sprinkles sand in the children’s eyes. Fourteen angels come to protect them while they sleep.
Act 3
A bright sunny morning has broken and the Dew Fairy wakes the two children from a wonderful dream. Hänsel and Gretel come upon a house made of confectionery which they are unable to resist. It belongs to Rosina Sweet-Tooth, the Gingerbread Witch, who likes children so much that she makes ginger- bread cakes out of them in her oven! She casts a spell and puts Hänsel in a cage to fatten him up. But Gretel manages to free her brother. Together they shove the slow-witted witch into her own oven! With a terrific bang, the spell is broken and all the gingerbread children come back to life. Finally, the parents can breathe a sigh of relief: they have miraculously found Hansel and Gretel again. Now it’s time to go home!
Fairy-tale opera in three acts [1893]
Libretto by Adelheid Wette
Libretto by Adelheid Wette
Premiere on January 25, 2025
Recommended from grade 3
German
2hr 20min, incl. intermission