United Kingdom Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel: Soloists, Refrain and Orchestra of the Royal Opera Home, Covent Backyard / Mark Wigglesworth (conductor). Royal Opera Home, Covent Backyard, 16.12.2023. (CC)
Manufacturing:
Director and Designer – Antony McDonald
Lighting designer – Lucy Carter
Motion director – Lucy Burge
Affiliate Set designer – Ricardo Pardo
Translation – Kelley Rourke
Solid:
Gretel – Anna Devin
Hansel – Anna Stéphany
Gertrud – Susan Bickley
Peter – Darren Jeffery
Witch – Rosie Aldridge
Sandman – Isabela Díaz
Dew Fairy – Sarah Dufresne
Echoes – Veena Akama-Makia, Sarah Dufresne, Kiera Lyness, Valentina Puskás, Miranda Westcott
This can be a manufacturing of Hansel and Gretel that’s assured to separate opinion. However first, the opera is sung in English, which is admittedly the accepted means on these shores. That is an allegedly child-friendly manufacturing – and there have been numerous kids on this Saturday evening viewers – so opera within the vernacular does make sense. Plus, there’s Sir Charles Mackerras’s beautiful English language recording for Chandos Opera in English (with Jennifer Larmore and Rebecca Evans) and a much less well-known efficiency from Milwaukee on the Avie label, performed by Andreas Delfs. And Kelley Rourke’s translation works properly, for positive; however it could be good to listen to it in German …
That that is ‘child-friendly’ but incorporates a home primarily based on that within the movie Psycho (with an enormous knife by means of it) asks different questions. It does trace at an intent to talk to the adults, too, and maybe that’s underlined by the looks of different fairy story figures within the forest (and even a Mary Poppins reference within the Dew Fairy’s umbrella?): the concept that a forest is a bodily illustration of the unconscious, and due to this fact a receptacle for archetypes, does make sense and goes no less than one layer beneath the floor Disneyfication of Humperdinck. And we should not neglect that the Brothers Grimm have been identified for the ‘darkish fairy story’ …
Neither is the music infantile or easy. Mark Wigglesworth performed with an outstanding ear for element all through – by no means have I heard a lot of the rating. Woodwind contributions have been constantly stunning. The Wagner affect on Humperdinck was underplayed in Wigglesworth’s studying: no downside to some, I’m positive, though one other advantageous conductor, James Conlon (music director of Los Angeles Opera), has lately written properly on this side on the LAO web site. The lightening of textures has one other function, maybe – it renders Humperdinck’s rating firmly in fairy story (it’s in spite of everything, a Märchenoper) versus Wagnerian delusion.
The manufacturing makes a lot use of tech – German/Swiss pastoral scenes projected on the opening, for instance (with a Swiss clock hanging from the highest of the stage). A second ‘body’ across the stage reminds us we’re a narrative, inserts a distancing, a visible, subliminal assertion of ‘as soon as upon a time …’. Anthony McDonald has clearly thought lengthy and laborious about the right way to method Humperdinck’s opera, and the end result works, principally. The destiny of the Witch (poor witches, they at all times get it) to drown in chocolate, is actually horror-free. With manufacturing and very good orchestra in place, what was wanted was a advantageous solid of singers …
… which is basically what we acquired. Anna Devin was a glowing Gretel; the opposite Anna, Anna Stéphany, has a gorgeous voice, wealthy in its decrease registers, however was generally simply too quiet as Hansel. Collectively, although, their Night Prayer (Abendsegen), with gossamer strings from the pit, was a second of purest magic.
The mother and father have been very good. Good to see Susan Bickley because the mom (I final noticed her lately in Beijing as Judith in Bartók Duke Bluebeard’s Citadel, and he or she was beautiful there, too). Bickley introduced her wealth of expertise to Gertrud; she has such stage presence. Darren Jeffrey was a merely very good Peter, superbly full-voiced, wealthy toned and completely inhabiting the position.
Isabela Díaz was bewitching because the Sandman (Sandperson?), whereas Sarah Dufresne, who simply continues to impress time after time, was simply her equal because the Dew Fairy. And Rosie Aldridge completely lapped up the Witch’s position.
I do imagine it has been over 20 years since I final noticed this opera dwell, after which it was on the Barbican Corridor (performed by the much-missed Richard Hickox, with a solid together with Susan Gritton, Anne Schwanewilms and the much-missed Pamela Helen Stephen). I hope it’s not one other 20plus years earlier than the following one, for Humperdinck’s rating is unquestionably the best magic of all.
Colin Clarke
