Overture to Hansel and Gretel
Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921
Engelbert Humperdinck was persuaded to compose Hansel and Gretel by his sister, Adelheid Wette, whose libretto was based on a fairy tale by the brothers Grimm. It has been said that Richard Wagner much admired the opera. Because it was premièred ten years after Wagner died, the report may be flawed. Nevertheless, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel has a strong Wagnerian flavour, musically speaking, and has delighted audiences of all ages because of its wealth of catchy melodies and its simple story-telling. The overture is ostensibly a potpourri of tunes taken from the opera’s arias and choruses. Because it has been woven together so skilfully, it is wholly satisfying as a stand-alone concert item. The music is light rather than tragic, but let us not forget that the Gingerbread witch was pushed into her own oven and burnt to a cinder in a trice, much to the amusement of the sweet-natured siblings, who did the pushing, and to the delight of their admiring parents.
Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921
Engelbert Humperdinck was persuaded to compose Hansel and Gretel by his sister, Adelheid Wette, whose libretto was based on a fairy tale by the brothers Grimm. It has been said that Richard Wagner much admired the opera. Because it was premièred ten years after Wagner died, the report may be flawed. Nevertheless, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel has a strong Wagnerian flavour, musically speaking, and has delighted audiences of all ages because of its wealth of catchy melodies and its simple story-telling. The overture is ostensibly a potpourri of tunes taken from the opera’s arias and choruses. Because it has been woven together so skilfully, it is wholly satisfying as a stand-alone concert item. The music is light rather than tragic, but let us not forget that the Gingerbread witch was pushed into her own oven and burnt to a cinder in a trice, much to the amusement of the sweet-natured siblings, who did the pushing, and to the delight of their admiring parents.