Customer Reviews

Humperdinck - Hansel and Gretel / Fulton, Blegen, Von Stade, Metropolitan Opera [VHS]

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the Metropolitan Opera's grand production of Hansel and Gretel, starring Julith Blegen and Frederica von Stade.

It is absolutely a delight to the eyes and ears, and is so deliciously done, you can almost smell the gingerbread and taste the witch's candy house. This is from a live performance, and it is likely you will gasp in amazement (as the live audience did) as the witch's house appears on stage. Equally well-executed are the flying angels who guard Hansel and Gretel's sleep. (The Met made sure it didn't look like singers hanging from wires--they really look like angels, and the effect is dazzling.)

You'll love the witch, as she flies on her broom, or sticks out her green tongue.

Although most people regard Hansel and Gretel as a children's piece, (and it is a lovely way to introduce children to the world of opera) the orchestration is so lush and rich that people of all ages will find themselves saying, "I thought it was kids' music, but it's so beautiful." This music was written by Humperdinck, who might be considered the heir to the sound of Mahler, and his music is as gorgeous as a Mahler symphony.

Yes, this production is performed in English instead of the original German language, but perhaps that makes it a better vehicle to interest new-comers to opera.

Buy it, enjoy it, and share it with those you love!

It seems like "magical" is a word only used by hack reviewers from suspicious-sounding newspapers. But really, there's no better word for this production. The richly romantic score is wonderfully played by the orchestra, and sensitively conducted by Fulton. The singers are uniformly good. The fantasy elements are spectacular... the house, the forest, the flying of angels and witches add immeasurably to the production. The only thing that I wasn't overly fond of was at certain moments the production was "childrened down," like with the occasional addition of somewhat corny graphics. But much better than some productions that remove anything "dangerous" at all, and have the witch played by a man as a drag queen! All in all this is a wonderful production of a wonderful opera. You'll be whistling the folksy score for days, and that haunting, meltingly beautiful prayer will stick with you for a long time.

I saw and taped this 1982 performance when it was originally telecast, and it had been a part of our family's Christmas tradition until the tape wore out. What a delight to experience the magic of this performance on DVD! While opera, in general, is not noted for high quality acting, the performances of Judith Blegen (Gretel) and Frderica von Stade ( Hansel), who never seems to be other than visually and sonically lovely, are simply captivating! Blegen's soprano is lyric, light and smooth, and is perfectly matched by von Sade's mezzo. And Rosalind Elias, who earlier in her career was anything but, is a fantastic witch, who is obviously having a great time flying all over the stage. Humperdinck's lush and melodic score is well played by the Met Orchestra, and perfectly conducted by the talented Thomas Fulton. The disc's video is a wonderful marriage of performance and technology, and if the sound isn't Dolby 5.1, well this is opera, not Mission Impossible, so that the Dolby Stereo, works very well. This Christmas Eve ( or any other time that suits your fancy), kick back, suspend your disbelief, and be transported to Fairyland. This performance is guaranteed to please, whether you are an operaphile or a novice. And it is a perfect introduction to opera and classical music for children. Don't wait.

I saw this 1982 performance at the Met and was very impressed by the charm of the production. Hansel and Gretel was originally written (and can be performed) as a relatively small scale opera, but the Met brought a great deal of wonderful large-scale stagecraft to the opera in a way that makes the production even more enjoyable. Some of the great stage momemnts for me are the gingerbread house coming up from the stage, the various animals (really kids) who come out on stage, the 14 angels protecting the children, and the transformation of the gingerbread children into real children. The production on DVD is from a live broadcast. The singing is very good with Judith Blegen (Gretel), Frederica von Stade (Hansel), and a very hammy witch (Rosalind Elias). The DVD is well indexed and sound quality is quite good -- the audience is well behaved! This is an opera (and opera production) that people of all ages will like, especially kids. Buy it and enjoy it!

Speaking as a former dancing mushroom (yes, one of the ones seen in this video), I can say that this is one of my favorite videos! As a child, performing in this production was an exciting rush. As an adult, watching the opera still gives me a thrill. The production is beautiful, the stars incredible and the dancing mushrooms...well...
An excellent introduction to opera and an enjoyable video for children and adults alike!

I originally taped this off television when it was first broadcast in 1982. Those were the days when Hansel and Gretel was about two waifs lost in the Black Forest. Currently productions, I guess in an effort to make a fairy tale contemporary, now have a mother who tries to overdose, randy parents who need a "nooner", a witch who shows up with bare breasts, as well as any number of "touches" that must leave most children as completely bewildered as I am trying to figure out what is going onstage. This reissue of a delightful, traditional performance from The Met reminds us that a Fairy Tale is best told in a simple, easy to follow, manner. For those parents out there who want to introduce their children to opera without a trip to the therapist first should snap this DVD up before it goes out of print again. The sonics are terrific and it still looks pretty good even in light of its blu-ray competition.

DG has finally released the famous 1982 Merrill / O'Hearn Met production of "Hansel and Gretel" which entertained and captivated thousands of opera lovers for nearly four decades. I, and many of my friends, would make this an annual event at the Met. Both children and adults loved this production with all its beautiful fantasies. The cast is great...the English translation by Norman Kelly is clear in keeping with the composer's intentions...and the orchestration is fantastic. I consider it the BEST production of H&G available on DVD...and one of the all-around BEST productions of any opera available.

It is totally different from the 2007 Richard Jones fiasco Met production and has no pigs, vomiting or depressing contents like the Jones version. The Dream Pantomime alone is worth watching. If you like opera productions the way the composer intended...you will love this!!! Thanks to DG, the memory of Nat Merrill and Humperdinck.

Although I have an old copy when it was released by Pioneer, I have pre-ordered the new DG DVD...it will have better audio and video as all their DVDs have.

I think this is a wonderful production and was so sad to see the used price of $250.00 or so above. I had given up on owning a copy. Then I went to the Met web site and was thrilled to see it still available for around 30.00. It is a magical performance--well worth hunting down.

Over the past few weeks, the newspapers and magazines that cover the classical music community have been following the final year of von Stade's singing career. Here in Chicago, we have been treated to a final recital, a performance of Heggie's "Three Decembers," and we await a concert performance of Mozart's "Cosi." Then she will be gone.

In anticipation of the loss, I have continued to look for compact discs and dvd's that preserve the memory of her musical journey. The Humperdinck opera is one in which her voice, with its timbre and mellowness, fits perfectly. This traditional production of the opera adds to its desirability. The Metropolitan production doesn't try to push some avante garde ideas about the story but relies on the charm of the children's tale instead.

All of the principals and even the minor characters fit perfectly into the production, including Flicka. She has remarked that her career has been about portraying naughty boys, Hansel and Cherubino being two of the most prominent. She is able to portray the mischievous boy as well as the protective big brother with ease while spinning out her golden mezzo which has pleased this listeners ear ever since I first heard her sing over twenty-five years ago. Over the years I have purchased almost all of her recordings. I add this DVD to my collection with unbridled enthusiasm. No von Stade fan should be without this disc.

I borrowed this version of Hansel and Gretel from the library shortly after watching the December 2007 version of the very same opera this Christmas. Hansel and Gretel has been my favorite opera ever since I heard the dramatized story version on CD by Jane Powell, but I was almost turned off by the gloomy, surreal world I saw in the modern version. It was refreshing watching opera the way it should have been done. Even though there were some dark undertones and a hideous witch, the 1982 Hansel and Gretel had a cheer and innocence that I found truly disarming.

To start with, the relationship between the two main characters was beautiful to see. Judith Blegen played such a cute little girl, curly pigtails and all! Meanwhile, Frderica von Stade was a convincing older brother. My little sister, who was watching the movie with me, even mentioned what a good brother Hansel was after watching the scene where he covers her up with his coat at night while they're lost in the woods. They occasionally squabbled, which added realism to the story, but you could tell they loved each other.

They really had to look out for each other when they got to the gingerbread house! As I said before, the witch was pretty scary with her warty nose, long chin and green petticoats, fingers, and tongue! We all gasped when we got our first glimpse of her frightening face through the window of the gingerbread house. However, once she began singing her lively song ("So Hop, Hop, Hop") and flying on her broomstick, I think she became so fascinating that we forget to be afraid! Rolsalind Elias did an excellent job.

So did everyone else at the Met it seems; the prop people, the costume designers, the angels, the orchestra, the conductor and anyone else I may have forgotten. And of course Englebert Humperdinck's music is just about the most beautiful ever written! The whole production was top notch. The only characters I didn't really love were the couple who played Hansel and Gretel's parents. They were definitely adequate, so I'm not complaining. I'm just saying that I didn't particularly care for them.

Oh, I had one more thing to say. This is the first opera I've seen in English and I could understand nearly every word, although there were no subtitles. The translation seemed very good and went well with the music. I know some people swear by the original German, but I thought it was kind of nice to understand what everyone was saying. Bottom line: if you want to see a traditional staged version of Hansel and Gretel in English, this is the one to see! Order it from your library or buy it on the Met's website!