Crunch, Crunch, Crunch
Hansel and Gretel
Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck’s celebrated fairy-tale opera for the whole family has returned to the stage of the Komische Oper Berlin! In this new production by Dagmar Manzel, the story of the siblings lost in the forest burgeons with fresh new life, full of childlike imagination, poetic wit, and plenty of magic.
It’s every parent’s nightmare: one minute you’re scolding the kids, the next minute they’ve disappeared! Hansel and Gretel have grown up living from hand to mouth. So it’s no wonder when they’re sent into the woods to gather berries. But that’s exactly when Hansel and Gretel immediately lose their way, after a quarrel with their mother. Left alone with their thoughts and fears – but also with their boundless imagination – the two children discover the world of the forest for themselves. And when they stumble upon a witch’s house overflowing with treats, their worries and hunger seem banished forever. If only there weren’t this thing with the witch … because she thinks her gingerbread is even better when children are part of the ingredients. It’s in their moment of greatest need that Hansel and Gretel ultimately prove their amazing strength in defeating evil together.
Hansel and Gretel remains one of the most famous fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, to which Engelbert Humperdinck has erected a musical monument with this opera, colourful and affecting like a Richard Wagner composition, gripping like an adventure story, and full of space for magic and imagination.
After the great success of her Pippi Longstocking, Dagmar Manzel now tackles another classic of children’s literature. Here, she’s reviving the magic of the German fairy tale, with all its inexplicable facets, eerie details, and invincible belief in goodness. Musical support is provided by conductor Yi-Chen Lin, who conjures up Humperdinck’s enchanting sounds from the depths of the forest floor.
Act 1
»Make some brooms and knit some socks!« is what they were supposed to do, but Hänsel and Gretel would much rather romp and dance around. Their mother is not amused – no work has been done, though money is short and there’s nothing left to eat in the house. Because everyone’s tummy is rum- bling, mother rashly sends the children out into the forest to collect berries.
Father returns from the market in high spirits. He did a roaring trade with his brooms and has brought home plenty of food for supper. But where are the kids? When he hears they’ve gone roaming in the forest all alone, he’s horrified. Everybody knows that’s where the Gingerbread Witch lives – and she eats children!
»Make some brooms and knit some socks!« is what they were supposed to do, but Hänsel and Gretel would much rather romp and dance around. Their mother is not amused – no work has been done, though money is short and there’s nothing left to eat in the house. Because everyone’s tummy is rum- bling, mother rashly sends the children out into the forest to collect berries.
Father returns from the market in high spirits. He did a roaring trade with his brooms and has brought home plenty of food for supper. But where are the kids? When he hears they’ve gone roaming in the forest all alone, he’s horrified. Everybody knows that’s where the Gingerbread Witch lives – and she eats children!
Act 2
Hänsel and Gretel find lots of strawberries and are intrigued by the many strange beings in the forest. But when they realise they are lost, the mood suddenly changes: the woods become dark and full of menace. It looks like Hänsel und Gretel will have to spend the night out of doors. Then the Sandman appears and sprinkles sand in the children’s eyes. Fourteen angels come to protect them while they sleep.
Act 3
A bright sunny morning has broken and the Dew Fairy wakes the two children from a wonderful dream. Hänsel and Gretel come upon a house made of confectionery which they are unable to resist. It belongs to Rosina Sweet-Tooth, the Gingerbread Witch, who likes children so much that she makes ginger- bread cakes out of them in her oven! She casts a spell and puts Hänsel in a cage to fatten him up. But Gretel manages to free her brother. Together they shove the slow-witted witch into her own oven! With a terrific bang, the spell is broken and all the gingerbread children come back to life. Finally, the parents can breathe a sigh of relief: they have miraculously found Hansel and Gretel again. Now it’s time to go home!
Fairy-tale opera in three acts [1893]
Libretto by Adelheid Wette
Libretto by Adelheid Wette
Premiere on 25 January 2025
Sponsored by
Further Productions