'You’ll never see or hear a better Hänsel and Gretel than Jennifer Holloway and Adriana Kucerová'
The Stage
'...Laurent Pelly’s poetic, witty and imaginative modernising of Hänsel und Gretel gives fresh vitality to Humperdinck’s adorable masterpiece'
The Daily Telegraph
'…the magnificent, I’m inclined to say perfect production at Glyndebourne'
The Spectator
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Further Information
Libretto after the poem by Adelheid Wette inspired by a story by the Brothers Grimm
Sung in German (with English Subtitles)
Conductor Kazushi Ono
Director Laurent Pelly
Set Designer Barbara De Limburg Stirum
Costume Designer Laurent Pelly
Lighting Designer Joël Adam
Cast
Hänsel Jennifer Holloway
Gretel Adriana Kucerová
Mother Irmgard Vilsmaier
Father Klaus Kuttler
The Witch Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke
The Sandman Amy Freston
Dew Fairy Malin Christensson
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Leader Pieter Schoeman
Assistant Conductor Peter Tomek
Music Preparation Ingrid Surgenor, Duncan Williams
Language Coach Johanna Mayr
Associate Director Agathe Mélinand
Staff Directors Stéphane Marlot, Natasha Metherell
The 2008 Festival production was made possible by a generous donation from Jon and Julia Aisbitt.
Recorded live at the Glyndebourne Opera House, Lewes, East Sussex, United Kingdom, July 2008.
Audio/Visual Director Thomas Grimm
A Glyndebourne/Brighton TV co-production in association with Electric Sky.
Distributed by More2Screen
www.more2screen.com
The Story
ACT I
The broom-maker’s house
Hänsel and Gretel are doing chores. Both are bored and hungry, and to cheer themselves up they start to dance. Their games are interrupted by their Mother, who is angry to find them playing instead of working. In her anger she knocks over the milk jug, losing what was to have been supper. She sends them into the forest to gather strawberries instead. Wearied by their precarious existence, she sinks into a chair, only to be woken by the return of her Husband. She is irritated to find him tipsy, but calms down when he produces a sack full of food. When he enquires after Hänsel and Gretel, he is alarmed to hear they are in the forest: he warns of the Witch who lives there, and both parents set out to look for the children.
ACT II
The wood
Hansel and Gretel happily gather and eat strawberries. When night falls they realize they are lost, and are frightened by the mysterious shapes in the mist. But a Sandman appears and settles them. They say their evening prayers, and go to sleep. The mist around them turns to clouds from which angels appear, who guard the children from harm.
ACT III
The gingerbread house
At dawn the Dew Fairy comes to wake Hänsel and Gretel. They are excited to see a gingerbread house not far away, but when theybegin to nibble at it, the Witch emerges and captures them, casting a spell. She puts Hänsel in a cage, telling Gretel that her brother needs fattening. She releases Gretel with a spell, in order that the girl may help her with the oven. But Gretel uses the spell to free Hänsel, and as the Witch demonstrates to Gretel how to check the oven, the children push her into it. As the Witch dies, the fence of gingerbread people is transformed back into motionless children. Hänsel invokes the formula for breaking the spell, and the children jump up and thank Hänsel and Gretel for saving them. The Mother and Father appear, and the family is reunited. All celebrate when they find that the Witch has herself been transformed into gingerbread.
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