Opera on 3

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Music: Classical: Opera

Programme presenting rare and fascinating operatic performances

Programme presenting rare and fascinating performances and vividly communicating the immediacy of the live experience

Opera on 3: Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel

Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel

BBC Radio 3 - Opera on 3, Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel

Scottish Opera’s latest production of Humperdinck’s magical fairy-tale opera.

Humperdinck’s fairy tale opera Hansel and Gretel starring Kathleen Ferrier Award winner Kitty Whately as Hansel and Welsh soprano Rhian Lois as Gretel. David Parry conducts.

Conductor David Parry leads Scottish Opera’s latest production of Humperdinck’s magical fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel.  Starring Kathleen Ferrier Award winner Kitty Whately as Hansel and Welsh soprano Rhian Lois as Gretel, with soprano Nadine Benjamin making her Scottish Opera debut in the dual roles of Mother and the Witch.  New Zealand born Baritone Phillip Rhodes sings the role of Father and the enchanted Sandman and Dew Fairy are both portrayed by former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist Charlie Drummond.  This production was recorded in December 2020 at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal and is sung in English, using a translation from the German by David Pountney.  The specially reduced orchestration is by Scottish Opera’s Head of Music Derek Clark.  

The story tells of Hansel and Gretel’s journey through the woods, where they’ve been sent to gather strawberries after making a nuisance of themselves at home. There they encounter a magical house made of gingerbread and covered in sweet treats. Their hungry stomachs can’t resist and they start to nibble on the house. However the Witch is at home and she has other, darker plans for the children.

Presented by Kate Molleson

Hansel - Kitty Whately (mezzo soprano)
Gretel - Rhian Lois (soprano)
Mother & the Witch - Nadine Benjamin (soprano)
Father - Phillip Rhodes (baritone)
Sandman & the Dew Fairy - Charlie Drummond (soprano)
Chorus - Barbara Cole Walton & Clíona Cassidy (sopranos), Jane Monari & Sarah Shorter (mezzo sopranos)
Orchestra of Scottish Opera
Conductor - David Parry

Photo credit: James Glossop

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