Hänsel und Gretel - Schedule, Program & Tickets

Hänsel und Gretel

A fairy tale about a brother and sister who fall into the hands of a witch in a magical production with clowns, acrobats and puppets

Approximate duration: 2 hours 15 minutes, 1 break 20 minutes

In Czech, subtitles in Czech, English

Orchestra of the State Opera
Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir

Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel is one of the most frequently performed operas in Germany. Inspired by the popular fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, the libretto was written by the composer's sister, Adelheid Wette, who modified the rather macabre story and added the characters of the sandman and baptism, and the instrumental dream pantomime scene in the forest. The story ends with the resurrection of the witch victims and the happy reunion of the children with their parents.
With music in the style of the great Wagnerian romance, Humperdinck's opera also includes folk rhythms, children's songs and old melodies.
Richard Strauss conducted the premiere on December 23, 1893 in Weimar, enraptured by the piece. The audience was smitten too. Since then, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel has enjoyed great popularity in Germany, where it has been performed in more than 35 opera houses every December. In 1905 the piece was first shown at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where it has often been performed around Christmas time.

The current adaptation of Hansel and Gretel is directed by Matěj Forman, best known to Prague audiences as the designer of the enchanting backdrops for the acclaimed productions La Belle et la Bête, A Walk Worthwhile and Enchantia, which he has designed in recent years for the National Theater Opera together with his brother Petr. The conception of the musical fairy tale by Matěj Forman and his team was inspired by the world of traveling theatre.


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