The popularity of Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel set the composer on a path of trying to reproduce its success with a series of fairytale operas, and while he continued to create music of considerable charm and grace, he was never able to recapture the depth, humanity, and wit of his first opera. Dornröschen, his third opera, seems misbegotten from its initial conception; Humperdinck left the dialogue as spoken text interspersed by music numbers, so the whole has the effect of an operetta, but with music appropriate for a ...
Read More
The popularity of Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel set the composer on a path of trying to reproduce its success with a series of fairytale operas, and while he continued to create music of considerable charm and grace, he was never able to recapture the depth, humanity, and wit of his first opera. Dornröschen, his third opera, seems misbegotten from its initial conception; Humperdinck left the dialogue as spoken text interspersed by music numbers, so the whole has the effect of an operetta, but with music appropriate for a very weighty opera. The problem is exacerbated in this live recording, which lacks an overall sense of drama, and comes across more as a pageant with music than as a real opera. The dialogue is spoken artfully, but lacks momentum and seems more like a radio play than a stage work. The performance features Brigitte Fassbaender in the speaking role of Dämonia, the evil fairy who curses the Sleeping Beauty, and her involvement elevates the proceedings considerably. Humperdinck wrote the...
Read Less
