Search - Engelbert [Classical] Humperdinck, John Pritchard, Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne :: Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel

A TREASURABLE HANSEL

Operaman! | Chicago, IL United States | 11/01/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Humperdinck's "Christmas Opera That Really Isn't a Christmas Opera" exists in several fine audio recordings, and this is one of them. Maestro Pritchard achieves some very lovely sonorities from this little-known orchestra and childrens chorus. Cotrubas and von Stade are wonderful as the kids (although I wish Sony had tried for Judith Blegen as Gretel; you'll have to content yourself with the DVD of the wonderful Metropolitan Opera production in English for that). Ludwig this time is the mother (she has previously recorded the Hexe, or Witch, not once but twice but never performed it on stage!), Nimsgern as the Father and Soderstrom doing what she said was an unintentional impersonation of Schwarzkoph as the Hexe. (Would you believe that Jon Vickers was originally cast as the Witch? Vickers is wonderful, but I'm rather glad that bit of imaginative casting didn't happen. Could you imagine Florestan or Otello as the Witch?). The late Ruth Welting and Kiri TeKanawa do lovely cameos as the Dew Fairy and Sandman. All in all, a wonderful recording and happy that it is available again. It's on the same plane as Donath/Moffo/Fischer-Dieskau on RCA or Schwarzkoph/von Karajan on EMI, and any one of these recordings gets my vote for Hansel."