Warm, sentimental, and infectiously tuneful, Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel is one of the most popular of late Romantic German operas, and it has been a perennial favorite since Richard Strauss conducted its premiere in 1893. Based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, this opera in three acts is regularly presented at Christmastime, and an excerpt from Act 2, the Evening Prayer, has become a children's classic. Marek Janowski leads the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in this 2017 release on Pentatone, and the ...
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Warm, sentimental, and infectiously tuneful, Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel is one of the most popular of late Romantic German operas, and it has been a perennial favorite since Richard Strauss conducted its premiere in 1893. Based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, this opera in three acts is regularly presented at Christmastime, and an excerpt from Act 2, the Evening Prayer, has become a children's classic. Marek Janowski leads the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in this 2017 release on Pentatone, and the lively performance meets the high standards of the audiophile recording, especially in the richness and depth of the playing and the clarity of the singing. The cast is led by mezzo-soprano Katrin Wundsam as Hänsel and soprano Alexandra Steiner as Gretel, and their acting is appropriately innocent and joyful, while soprano Ricarda Merbeth as the Mother and bass-baritone Albert Dohmen as the Father convey their worries and fears of the dark woods. The plum role of the Witch is sung...
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