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Poor Englebert Humperdinck. It seems he can't get any respect, not in America anyway. First, his name was appropriated by an English pop singer and second most Americans, when they think of opera at all, think of "Madam Butterfly" or "Cavalleria Rusticana," and of "Hansel and Gretel" as merely a children's story, and a politically incorrect one at that. The charm of the opera lies in its escape from reality. The music is influenced by Richard Wagner, which is not surprising since Humperdinck assisted Wagner in the preparation of "Parsifal," but it has an enchantment all its own. The famous "Dance Duet," the father's song, and the "Evening Hymn" transport listeners to another world.
The opera is based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm that had failed to catch on until Humperdinck (with the help of his sister who wrote the libretto) sat down and composed the opera, which premiered in Weimer in 1893, with Richard Strauss as conductor. Gustav Mahler, who was head of the Hamburg Opera at the time, declared "Hansel and Gretel" to be a masterpiece. Thereafter, the fairy tale and the opera have become widely popular in Europe. "Hansel and Gretel" was the first opera to be broadcast on radio in its entirety (from London in 1923) and in the U.S. (1931). The first studio recording is this one, from 1953, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, which many considered the finest ever made. Interestingly, Karajan had never conducted the piece until rehearsals were underway for this recording. "Like the rest of us, he seemed endlessly surprised and delighted by details of the score as they cropped up in performance," soprano Elizabeth Schwarzkopf recalled years later.
The recording had been carefully cast and prepared by legendary producer Walter Legge. According to the liner notes, "The woodland scenes in particular offer numerous challenges and rewards to the perceptive producer. When it came to conjuring atmosphere and theatrical perspective, Legge and his recording engineer were in a class of their own. The result is a recording which, though in mono, often seems more stereophonic than any of its stereo rivals."
Schwarzkopf sings the part of Gretel and soprano Elisabeth Grummer sings the part of Hansel. Clearly, they had a lot of fun playing their roles throughout the sessions. Baritone Joseph Metternich, known for his Wagner, does the part of the father, Maria von Ilosvay the mother, and Else Schurhoff makes a wonderfully wicked witch. Length: 1 hour 48 minutes. The Classical Music guide has ranked this performance among the top 100 classical recordings of all time.
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