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Once upon a time . . . darkly
Hansel and Gretel
Welsh National Opera
Birmingham Hippodrome
**** HANSEL and Gretel is a fairy tale opera by nineteenth-century composer Engelbert Humperdinck, based on the eponymous Grimm brothers' fairy tale. The first four rows of the stalls at the
Hippodrome had been removed to accommodate a full orchestra in a pit
packed with musicians, and burgeoning with the sounds of the rich score,
a Strauss influence noticeably present. What a delight it is with a
visit from WNO to have a full orchestra playing at Opera. The Grimm brothers fairy tale is grotesque and
macabre, and this production does those values full justice. Gretel (Ailish
Tynan ) and Hansel (Jurgita Adamonyté) lead the production playing
children with no awkwardness, the latters’ mezzo soprano a delight,
their combination oozing innocence and adventure. The set opens, stark and austere and ends in an
industrial kitchen with a finale so appalling, that Quentin Tarantino
would have hesitated to pitch it for one of his films. Director Richard
Jones’s vision is ambitious, and delivered. Conductor Lothar Koenigs
leads the magnificent orchestra to produce a light, sensitive nuanced
tone against a bleak backdrop, from which the twee rustic idyll of other
productions has been stripped. Adrian Thompson’s witch is a winning comic
vision, twerking, smirking and luring before her demise, an end which is
gross out humour at its basest. However the most accomplished and
complete scene was the Abendsegen (Evening Benediction) from Act
2. The melody has a childlike simplicity, the Wagnerian harmonies soar,
and for a moment you are transported to church and back to your own
childhood where an evening prayer can fend off bad dreams. Elsewhere the set pieces are presented in some
style. Actors lurk dressed as trees, a banquet is served by a fish and
fat headed chefs while The Sandman (Meriel Andrew) stalks a banquet
table, caressing a skeletal spectre. This is a magnificent production and a timely
reminder of how good composer Engelbert Humperdink was. Gluttony, greed,
self-indulgence and excess are all gloriously explored, a triumph for
the Welsh National Opera. It tours until 11 April alongside performances of
The Magic Flute and Chorus!, a chance for the chorus to shine in their
own right. Gary Longden
07-03-15
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