2006-12-11

ceebeegee: (Xmas Tree)
2006-12-11 02:56 pm
Entry tags:

Hansel and Gretel

I went to see a small local production of the opera Hansel and Gretel last Friday. It was put on by a group called the Liederkranz, on the Upper East Side--the tickets were affordable ($20) so my expectations were different from those of the Met's Boheme.

First off, the singers were all kick-ass. No fault with their technique whatsoever--I will say, I wish they could've covered their voices a bit less. H&G is a children's opera first and foremost, and I feel it's very important to make that particular opera as accessible as possible. If the adults have a difficult time understanding what they're singing (it was in English, incidentally, although Hansel und Gretel is originally in German), I can't imagine what the children are hearing.

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Now I want to see this at City Opera or the Met--I think the Met could make it really dark and moody and Germanic with that enormous stage.