December21 2024 (Sat)
11:00 AM

Hänsel und Gretel

Opera by Engelbert Humperdinck

Prague State Opera | Opera and Ballet

135 minutes | Available

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Date: December 21, 2024 | 11:00 (Sat)
Venue: Prague State Opera
Duration: 135 minutes
Status: Available
Reviews: (8)
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The Hänsel und Gretel opera by E. Humperdinck is inspired by the Grimm brothers fairy tale

In Czech with Czech and English surtitles

The popular opera, inspired by the Grimm brothers’ fairy tale, is the work of the German composer Engelbert Humperdinck and his sister Adelheid Wette, who wrote the libretto and adapted rather macabre story, adding the characters of the Sandman and the Dew Fairy, as well as the instrumental dream pantomime scene in the forest, and concluding it with the resurrection of the witch’s victims and the happy reunion between the children and their parents.

With the music written in the grand Wagnerian romantic style, Humperdinck’s opera also contains folk rhythms, songs for children and old melodies. The world premiere, in Weimar on 23 December 1893, was conducted by Richard Strauss, totally swept away by the piece. Enraptured too was the audience, and Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel has ever since remained extremely popular in Germany, where every December it has been performed at more than 35 opera houses. In 1905, the piece was first shown at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where it has often been staged during Christmas.

The National Theatre production of Hänsel und Gretel is directed by Matěj Forman (son of the famous Czech film director Miloš Forman).

Matěj Forman is primarily known to Prague audiences as the designer of the magical scenery for the highly acclaimed productions La Belle et la Bête, A Walk Worthwhile and Enchantiawhich he has created in recent years for the National Theatre Opera together with his brother Petr. Matěj Forman and his team’s conception of the musical fairy tale was inspired by the world of itinerant theatre.

Performed by:

The State Opera Orchestra
Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir

Important:

  • The purchased tickets cannot be returned or exchanged.
  • There is a screen with subtitles on each seat.
  • One 20 min. intermission
  • No discounts are provided. 
  • Suitable for audience from 5 years.
  • Theatre is a cultural institution. Please respect the common principles of appropriate behaviour and clothing.
  • The program may be subject to change.
  • The price includes service fee of 3,7 € (100,- CZK)

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