An Afternoon at the Opera: "Hansel and Gretel"

About this event

Join us for An Afternoon at the Opera, a new film series celebrating the unforgettable productions of the Metropolitan Opera. Each screening will be introduced by local opera enthusiast Peter Eder, who will share insights and background to enrich your viewing experience. Settle in, savor the music, and enjoy world-class opera right here at the library. Opera: Hansel and Gretel Composer: Engelbert Humperdinck Premiere: Weimar Court Theater, Weimar, Germany, 1893 First U.S. Performance: Daly’s Theatre: New York City, October 8, 1895 First New York Metropolitan Opera Performance: November 25, 1905 --------------------------------------------------------------- Performance Date of Recording: 2008 Version Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski Runtime: 2h Synopsis Originally written as a small-scale vocal entertainment for children, the folk tale of a brother and sister who get lost in a dark forest and become captives of an old witch, is based on a classic of 16th century German literature made famous by the Brothers Grimm in the 19th century. Engelbert Humperdinck, the composer who was a protégé of Richard Wagner, wrote an opera with sophisticated music lessons, but with great charm and a light touch. It immediately became a favorite family holiday musical event. The music is captivatingly beautiful. It premiered in 1893 and reached the New York opera public in 1893, and the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1905. Perhaps the most memorable Met Opera performance was on Christmas Day, 1931, when the opera was broadcast on the radio, inaugurating the Met Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts, which continue to the present day. This Production Richard Jones created this production in 2007 who shortened the opera to under two hours with no intermission and in an English language version. Premiered in the second Live from The Met High-Definition Broadcast on New Year’s Day, 2008. Renee Fleming handled the introduction and the conductor was the then 36-year-old Russian, Vladimir Jurowski. He is currently the General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera. The lead singers are two mezzo-sopranos. In addition, for the role of Hansel, the singer has a trouser role, an operatic tradition where a female singer, a mezzo-soprano plays a male character. It has intended to emphasize youth and playfulness.