NIBBLE NIBBLE MOUSEKIN

Cast of Opera Theater of Montclair's  Hansel and Gretel

In 1890, Adelheid Wette, the sister of composer Engelbert Humperdinck, asked him to compose 4 songs for a puppet show for her nieces based on the Grimm Brothers fairytale, Hansel and Gretel. Later she wrote the libretto for an opera based on the fairytale. Over the next three years Humperdinck completed composition of the opera using his sister’s libretto. It premiered on December 23, 1893 and was an immediate success. It remains one of the most popular operas throughout the world and is often performed during the Christmas season. The opera is not just for children; its endless melody makes it enjoyable for adults as well.

Mia-Riker-Norrie, General Director of the Opera Theatre of Montclair, made a wise choice in selecting this delightful opera as its fifth full main stage production. Two performances took place this Saturday and Sunday and two more performances will take place next weekend. All performances begin at 4:00 to so that children can enjoy this opera along with their family. Many young children were in the audience Saturday with their parents, grand parents, or other friends and family.

Engelbert Humperdinck, a great admirer of the composer Richard Wagner, was invited by Wagner to work with him for two years. Humperdinck’s elaborate scores reflect Wagner’s influence, but Humperdinck found his own unique style. He was known for his tuneful music and brilliant orchestrations. There are at least a dozen familiar tunes in the opera. 

The overture, conducted by Maestro Elizabeth Hastings, begins softly with the horns playing the “evening prayer” heard later in the opera. She quietly built up the crescendos as called for and brought out exciting and beautiful playing from the orchestra.  

The opera opens with Hansel, (mezzo-soprano Madison Marie Mcintosh), and Gretel, (soprano Laura Kosar), singing a folk song, “Susie little Susie.” They are poor and hungry. Hansel is supposed to be making brooms and Gretel is knitting but they would much rather play. Madison and Laura were entirely convincing as young children; Madison with her shorts and Bavarian suspenders, and Laura with her dirndl.  Madison’s Hansel is a typical young boy… playful, who avoids work and teases his sister by sticking out his tongue. Laura was also very playful although a bit more serious. Madison has a beautiful mezzo voice which, every time I hear her, seems to grow bigger and more beautiful. Laura’s lyric soprano is lovely and blooms on the high notes. Their voices were perfectly matched as they sang and danced  the well known duet “Brother won’t you dance with me.”

Their mother returns home and is furious with them for shirking their chores.  Soprano Luisa Fernanda Munster sang the role of the mother, Gertrude.  She has a big attractive dramatic voice and uses it well.

Gertrude sends the children off to the woods to pick strawberries.  The father Peter is heard offstage singing a happy song.  He is delighted that he was able to sell many brooms at the fair.  Peter was sung by bass-baritone Nathan Bahny.  His big booming voice has a beautiful gentle quality and he was entirely convincing as the concerned father.

The Second act starts with another orchestral prelude which is known as “The witches ride.” Again, Maestro Hastings’ conducting was just right…bringing out the drama and excitement of the music.

Hansel and Gretel are lost in the woods which they find very scary.  The Sandman, sung very sensitively by soprano Christine Rauschenbach-Nevill, sprinkles sand over the children to make them sleepy. Before falling asleep, Hansel and Gretel sing their evening prayer, again in complete harmony with each other, and then they fall asleep.

Fourteen angels gather to protect the sleeping children. The costume designer, Julia Sharp, created beautiful flowing white capes for the angels…4 of them were on either side of the choir loft and the other 14 were divided between the two aisles of the church  With choreography by Conny Andres, they danced as they came down the aisles and onto the stage. This was a very lovely scene, staged by the director of the production, Stacey Canterbury. Maestro Hastings' sensitive conducting of this delicate music supported the dancing. The dancers were all young and lovely.

Act Three opens this time with a happy sounding prelude, although there are hints of the evil witch with the “Nibble nibble mousekin” theme. The Dew fairy, who comes to awaken the children, was gently sung by the lyric soprano Barbara Monk. Upon waking up, Hansel and Gretel come across the gingerbread house.  Madison and Laura again displayed their ability to portray the children. Their astonishment upon finding the gingerbread house was well acted. Stacey Canterbury Climie, who directed this production of Hansel and Gretel, sings the role of the witch.  She has a big warm voice and uses it well.  I did feel that she was a bit nicer than I imagine a witch to be but it was an interesting interpretation.

Hansel and Gretel free the children who are no longer gingerbread people and  the opera ends with a joyful children’s chorus.

When the opera ended it was met with great applause by both children and adults.  Congratulations to Mia, the General Director of the Opera Theatre of Montclair, for bringing together such a great team of people to put on this beautiful production. And congratulations to David Gilliam the set and production designer.  He designed three folding backdrops; the first a painted kitchen scene with pots, pans, and a stove; the second a forest scene, and the third the gingerbread house and gingerbread characters. 

For those of you who were not at the performances this weekend, do come to see this delightful well performed opera next weekend and bring your friends, children and grandchildren. You’ll be in for a treat.

© Ellen Godfrey, Guest Reviewer

DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD

Yen Yu Chen, Louis Ong, Isabella Stollenmeier, Jessica Doolan, Keith Chambers, Jessica Gonzales-Rodriguez, Lisa Nava, Rachel Gomes, and Rebekah Hartie

It was the Gay 90's when composer Engelbert Humperdinck provided music for lyrics written by his sister Adelheide Wette--songs for children derived from a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. The maestro picked up that ball and ran with it, scoring a major musical touchdown with an opera that thrills children and adults alike--Hansel and Gretel.  Who cannot relate to a tale of sibling relationships, parental frustration, and the difficulty of providing for children!

The two siblings in Hansel and Gretel are barely surviving their hunger in a situation of privation. The breaking of a pitcher of milk becomes a major tragedy and the despairing mother sends the children to gather berries in the wood. When Father comes home with food that he earned selling his brooms at a festival, he alerts Mother to the danger of allowing children to go into the forest where lives a Wicked Witch who eats children.

Fortunately the children have some beneficial forces at work to protect them--a Dew Fairy and a Sandman who provides healthy respite from the cares of the day.  The children manage to beat the Witch at her own game, shoving her into the very same oven in which she transformed live children into gingerbread cookies.  All ends happily in a version less gruesome and frightening than the Grimm Brothers' original.  The cookie-kids are even restored to life.

Maestro Keith Chambers of the New Amsterdam Opera and Artistic Director Carlos Tagle provided a fine presentation of this musically glorious work--sung in fine German by participants in the Manhattan Opera Studio. The orchestra was situated on one side of the long narrow Scorca Hall at the National Opera Center; it was an unusual configuration but it worked, allowing the audience to get up close and personal with the performers.

We loved hearing the original German, although the projected titles were not translations of the German that we heard sung but rather rhymed couplets belonging to an English translation. Happily, the singing was as fine as the German diction.

Jessica Doolan has a lovely soprano and an engaging manner that made her a fine  childlike Gretel. Jessica Gonzales-Rodriguez' mezzo-soprano made a satisfactory Hansel but we hope that she will do some work on mastering masculine mannerisms, in order to be more believable in a pants role.

We particularly enjoyed baritone Louis Ong as a forceful father appropriately concerned about his children. Mezzo-soprano Rachael Gomes portrayed the Mother.  As the cannibalistic Wicked Witch, Isabella Stollenmeier needed a big dose of nastiness to be convincing, whereas Yen Yu Chen was all sunshine as the Dew Fairy. Rebekah Hartie did well as the Sandman.

The major pleasure of the evening lay in Maestro Chambers' effective conducting of the reduced orchestra in which the horn and clarinet played major parts.  Humperdinck made liberal use of folk melodies which he orchestrated with fine harmonies reflective of Wagner.  There were moments in the overture when we thought of Parsifal. The prayer is familiar, as is the sibling dancing song. But it is always a treat to hear the entire score.

We were not thrilled with Lisa Nava's direction.  Many of the instructions in the libretto were ignored and the characters rarely faced one another.  It appeared as if they were directed to face the audience. The four singers never seemed to form a family.  We wanted more menace from the witch.

The setting comprised a couple of tree stumps and some brooms made of twigs.  Nothing more was needed. Costumes were cleverly improvised with the Dew Fairy making quite an impression with her sunny yellow dress and parasol.

On the whole, Manhattan Opera Studio provided a delightful exposure to this wonderful opera.  We  were able to hear a single cast but would gladly have heard it twice.

© meche kroop