“Hansel and Gretel” by Engelbert Humperdinck performed by students of the Academy of Music at the Baltic Opera

“Hansel and Gretel” is one of the most famous fairy tales written by the Grimm brothers. To distract themselves from hunger the titular characters start dancing. When their mother returns home and sees them playing, she is furious they have stopped working. As she threatens to punish them she accidentally knocks over the jug with remaining milk. Mother chases the children out to the woods to pick strawberries. An evil Witch lives in the forest… Fortunately, Humperdinck’s children are under the care of good spirits, the Sand Fairy and angels. In the fairy-tale opera, even slavery in the Witch’s gingerbread house has a happy ending.

Three performances of “Hänsel und Gretel“, performed by students of the Academy of Music in Gdańsk, will be shown at the Baltic Opera on November 8 (11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.) and November 9 (11.00 a.m.). The evening show on Friday, November 8 will also be available as a live stream for 24 hours.

Director Romuald Wicza-Pokojski brings a classic story into the modern world. Hansel and Gretel become refugee children, and their wandering in the forest symbolizes the difficult journey in search of safety. Katarzyna Zawistowska is responsible for the costumes and set design, and the university orchestra of the Academy of Music in Gdańsk and the Children’s Opera Choir will be directed by Michał Krężlewski. There are three different casts. The full list of soloists can be found here.

The production is not the first staging of Humperdinck’s opera at the Baltic Opera in 2024. Back in July, performances prepared by the Grand Theater in Łódź were presented as part of the 2nd edition of the Baltic Opera Festival.

Photo on the home page: Damian Giczewski (Father) / Krzysztof Mystkowski

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