THE MET: LIVE IN HD SEASON 8 – ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK’S “HANSEL AND GRETEL”

PRESENTED BY:

The Cultural Center of the Philippines

with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc. and Ayala Malls Cinemas

DATE/ TIME/ VENUE:

November 7, 2023 | 5:30 PM

CCP @ Ayala Malls Cinemas Greenbelt 3 Cinema 1, Makati City

DESCRIPTION:

A deliciously festive holiday tradition, the Met’s English-language staging of Humperdinck’s sweeping interpretation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale returns, complete with giant cartoon chefs, singing trees, and a wicked witch’s kitchen you’ll never forget. Alice Coote and Christine Schäfer star as the famous siblings lost in the woods, who battle the ravenous Witch—a zany portrayal by tenor Philip Langridge — while the Met orchestra, under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski, glories in the rich, folk-inspired score.

The Met: Live in HD Season 8 is a series of screenings of the latest performances by the Metropolitan Opera of New York, delivered in high-definition video and Dolby Surround Sound.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Ticket Price:

Php 450 – Regular Price

Php 100 – Students and Young Professionals

Visit the ticket booth or book your tickets at www.sureseats.com.

 ABOUT THE OPERA:

World premiere: Weimar, Court Theater, 1893

Originally conceived as a small-scale vocal entertainment for children, Hansel and Gretel resonates with both adults and children, and has become one of the most successful fairy-tale operas ever created. The composer, Engelbert Humperdinck, was a protégé of Richard Wagner’s, and the opera’s score is flavored with the sophisticated musical lessons he learned from his idol while maintaining a charm and a light touch that were entirely Humperdinck’s own. The opera acknowledges the darker features present in the Brothers Grimm version of the familiar folk tale, yet presents them within a frame of grace and humor.

SYNOPSIS:

“Hansel and Gretel” by Engelbert Humperdinck

Estimated Running Time: 2 hrs

 ACT I

In the broom-maker’s house. Hansel complains he is hungry. Gretel shows him some milk that a neighbor has given for the family’s supper. The children dance. Their mother returns and wants to know why they have got so little work done. She accidentally spills the milk and chases the children out into the woods to pick strawberries.

Their father, a broom-maker, returns home drunk. He brings out the food he has bought, then asks where the children have gone. The mother tells him that she has sent them into the woods. He tells her about the Witch who lives there, and that the children are in danger. They go out into the woods to look for them.

 ACT II

In the woods. Hansel picks strawberries. The children hear a cuckoo singing and eat the strawberries. Soon they have eaten every one. In the sudden silence of the wood, Hansel admits to Gretel that he has lost the way. The children grow frightened.

The Sandman comes to bring them sleep, sprinkling sand over their eyes. The children say their evening prayer. In a dream, they see 14 angels.

 ACT III

The gingerbread house. The Dew Fairy comes to waken the children. Gretel wakes Hansel, and they see the gingerbread house. They do not notice the Witch. The Witch decides to fatten Hansel up and puts a spell on him. The oven is hot. Gretel breaks the Witch’s spell and sets Hansel free. When the Witch asks her to look in the oven, she pretends she doesn’t know how to: the Witch must show her. When the Witch peers into the oven, the children shove her inside and shut the door. The oven explodes. The gingerbread children come back to life. The mother and father find the children, and all express gratitude for their salvation.