Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel (Brilliant Ópera Collection) [CD de audio] Gisela Litz, Rita Streich, Horst Günter, Münchner

Welcome back to this famous recording from the yellow label archives, featuring the great Rita Streich and Gisela Litz. An opera based on a fairy tale, but by no means childish! The inherent horror of the tale is painted in Wagnerian colors and the dramatic tension is chilling. Poor Humperdinck! Remembered today for a single work, overshadowed by both Wagner and Richard Strauss (the latter indignity came with the fact that his name was taken by a 1960s crooner!), he was highly respected by his colleagues and helped Wagner in Bayreuth in 1881-2 working on the premiere of Parsifal. Of his nine works for the stage, Hansel and Gretel has remained a favorite in opera houses around the world. A skillful mix of Weber's Der Freischütz, Wagner's The Meistersingers and Siegfried, weaves a magical spell on the listener. Conjuring all childhood fears of what lives deep in the woods and things that go bump in the night (after all, this is based on a Grimm tale!), Humperdinck's magical score is full of wonderful melodies. The fact that a mezzo-soprano was chosen, as Humperdinck intended, rather than a soprano for the role of Hansel, means that there is more vocal differentiation here than on the Columbia album (Karajan). Rita Streich is very well typecast as Gretel. Admirable artist Res Fischer is a much better witch than Columbia's Else Scharhof, actually singing her entire part, rather than moving her lips, and is more sinister. Gramophone