Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck, Frá (2021/2022), Leikstýrt af Erik Raskopf,, Hljómsveitarstjóri Hermann Bäumer, Staatstheater, Mainz, Germany

Actually, Engelbert Humperdinck was only supposed to set some text passages of the fairy tale play Hansel and Gretel to music, which his sister Adelheid Wette had written for a family performance. On the enthusiastic advice of relatives, however, the small project subsequently developed first into a Singspiel and finally into a full-length opera about the story of the siblings Hansel and Gretel. Growing up in poor circumstances, their mother sends them into the forest to pick berries. There they not only meet sand and rope men, but also the witch, who has already sent shivers down the spines of countless children. With a colorful pen, Engelbert Humperdinck composed his fairy tale opera in late-Romantic style. Carried by an enchanting richness of sound, he lets the dew man float onto the stage, encourages the siblings to dance with folk songs, lets the wind rustle through the leaves of the forest and lets the children sing the famous evening blessingfall asleep on their lips, only to lure them into the witch's arms with enticing music. In the semi-staged production, music and scene enter into a new connection, which allows the reality of the orchestra playing on stage to merge with stage design elements, fabulously opulent costumes and elaborate make-up, and extends a warm invitation to young and old: immersion in a world full of magic and fantasy where a happy ending is guaranteed.