Hänsel und Gretel - Fairy-Tale Opera by Engelbert Humperdinck

Fairy-tale opera in three acts
Libretto: Adelheid Wette
Duration: 130 minutes including intermission

In German · With subtitles in German and English.

PRODUCTION TEAM
Puppet construction: Bernhard Leismüller
Puppet heads: Sebastian Demmel
Costume tailoring: Bernhard Leismüller
Set design: Bernhard Leismüller
Direction, dramaturgy: Bernhard Leismüller & Ralf Hechelmann

PRODUCTION CONCEPT
From the outset, the goal was to create a fairy-tale world that captivates both children and adults equally. Our audiences' reactions proved the concept worked. Adult spectators were enchanted by the magical enchanted forest and its fabulous creatures just as much as younger visitors. The finest compliment came from a 10-year-old girl who convinced her grandmother to give her the recording. The fact that young ears were also seduced by the sophisticated music, which in its orchestration often recalls Wagner, is a beautiful testament to this production.

STAGE HISTORY
The premiere took place with great success on December 23, 1893, in Weimar under the direction of Richard Strauss. Following performances in Karlsruhe and Munich, other German theatres quickly followed, such as Berlin's Lindenoper in 1894, which achieved the remarkable number of 425 performances by 1964. Translated into 17 foreign languages, "Hänsel und Gretel" rapidly spread abroad - reaching Africa, North and South America, Australia, and even the Far East (1961 in Tokyo). Boys' choirs such as the Vienna Boys' Choir and the Regensburger Domspatzen incorporated the work into their repertoire.