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Alekandra Kurzak as Gretel and Kate Lindsey as Hansel in Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel." (Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera)
NEW YORK—The Metropolitan Opera’s child-friendly opera this season was the return of Richard Jones’s enchanting production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel.” The libretto, based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, was written by the composer’s sister, Adelheid Wette.
In this production, the focus was on food, with the first act in the broom maker’s house, where a neighbor has given them some milk for dinner. After the mother accidentally spills the milk, she sends her two children to the woods to pick strawberries. The father comes home drunk and upon learning that Hansel and Gretel have gone into the woods, he informs his wife that the children are in danger because of the Witch who lives there.
In the second act, the brother and sister are put to sleep by the Sandman, who sprinkles sand over their eyes. In a dream, they see 14 angels; in this production 14 chefs prepare a feast for them.
The last act takes place in the Witch’s house filled with children the Witch had turned into gingerbread. The old crone tries to fatten up Hansel to prepare him for cooking, but the captives outsmart her and push the Witch into the oven. Then the gingerbread children come back to life, and the broom maker and his wife appear to retrieve their son and daughter. When the Witch was done in, the children in the audience cheered.
The opera was performed in English—using the translation by David Pountney—and had a terrific cast. Rising star soprano Alexandra Kurzak (who just released a terrific solo CD appropriately titled “Gioia” or “Joy” on Decca) comes from Poland and her enunciation was not always clear but her singing and acting entrancing.
As Hansel, mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey matched lovely singing with boyish gestures. Soprano Michaela Martens and baritone Dwayne Croft were ideally cast as their parents.
The role of the witch was originally written for a mezzo-soprano, but the Met cast tenor Robert Brubaker, who looked like a malevolent Julia Child.
Conductor Robin Ticciati, making his Met debut, effectively blended the Wagnerian orchestrations and folk-like melodies to the satisfaction of young and old alike. It is worth noting that the children in the audience were especially well behaved.
Barry Bassis writes about music, theater, travel, and dining for various publications.
