{"id":120924,"date":"2026-01-14T14:20:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T19:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=120924"},"modified":"2026-01-16T08:22:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T13:22:02","slug":"preview-calgary-opera-presents-new-production-hansel-gretel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/01\/14\/preview-calgary-opera-presents-new-production-hansel-gretel\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Calgary Opera Presents An Imaginative Production Of Humperdinck’s Hansel And Gretel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
The Calgary Opera production of Humperdinck\u2019s Hansel and Gretel (Photo courtesy of Calgary Opera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Calgary Opera will present Engelbert Humperdinck\u2019s family-friendly opera Hansel and Gretel, featuring handcrafted puppets, set design, and costumes by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop. Performances take place from January 31 to February 6 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis production is particularly special as it is so visually exciting. The Trouts have designed a world where design and storytelling come to life. Hansel and Gretel is a story we all have a little bit of knowledge of \u2014 it is a world full of magical creatures, and the music is so lush and engaging,\u201d said Stage Director Brenna Corner<\/strong> in a statement.<\/p>\n

This production was originally designed for and created by Vancouver Opera, with set, costumes, and puppet design by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop, provided by Kentucky Opera.<\/p>\n

The production is recommended for adults, and children age six and up.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Calgary Opera production of Humperdinck\u2019s Hansel and Gretel (Photo courtesy of Calgary Opera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Opera<\/h2>\n

Humperdinck actually wrote the opera as a favour for Adelheid Wette, his sister, who was already an accomplished librettist. She had asked him to compose music for four folksongs based on the fairy tale that she had written for her children to sing at Christmas.<\/p>\n

Despite some qualms about how the source material would translate into opera, the composer plunged into the project, and eventually decided to enlarge the work to a full opera, with his sister writing the words.<\/p>\n

The work premiered in 1893 in Weimar, Germany, conducted by Richard Strauss. After the performance, Strauss mentioned its \u201cdevilishly difficult\u201d score, and dubbed it \u201coriginal, new and so authentically German\u201d.<\/p>\n

The story sticks largely to the fairy tale as it is popularly known. Two children named Hansel and Gretel live just outside a forest in a cottage with their parents. The family is poor, and there isn\u2019t much to eat.<\/p>\n

There is a witch who lives in the forest, known to take small children captive and bake them into gingerbread.<\/p>\n

One day, the mother comes home to find that the kids haven\u2019t done their chores, and she ngrily sends them into the woods to gather food for the family.<\/p>\n

The kids lose track of time, and it gets dark. The opera adds a Sandman to the story, a magical being who sends the children to sleep, and they dream of 14 guardian angels who protect them. Shortly afterwards, the Dew Fairy shows up to wake them. Hansel and Gretel are hungry, and begin to search for food.<\/p>\n

They find a house made of gingerbread, cakes, and chocolate. Naturally, they\u2019re entranced, and they begin to eat. However, the Witch appears, and she captures the pair, locking them into a cage.<\/p>\n

But, Gretel uses the Witch\u2019s own magic branch to reverse the spell and unlock the cage when the Witch goes out. When she returns, the two children rush out of the cage and push her in instead. The Witch\u2019s house catches fire and explodes, and later, Hansel and Gretel\u2019s parents find them and bring them back home.<\/p>\n

That night, Hansel remembers his dream, and looks up to the sky to find the 14 guardian angels smiling down on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe music of Hansel and Gretel is one of the most evocative scores ever written, and even though it was composed before the time of movies, it has such a cinematic power that if you close your eyes you’ll feel like you have been transported into a dream-like realm filled with magical creatures,\u201d said Jonathan Brandani<\/strong>, Conductor and Artistic Director of Calgary Opera.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Calgary Opera production of Humperdinck\u2019s Hansel and Gretel (Photo courtesy of Calgary Opera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Performers<\/h2>\n

The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra<\/strong>, conducted by Calgary Opera Artistic Director Jonathan Brandani<\/strong>, perform the music, and the Cantar\u00e9 Children\u2019s Choir<\/strong> add their voices to the performance.<\/p>\n

The Old Trout Puppet Workshop<\/strong> have created the set, costumes, and puppet design. The company makes handcrafted creations infused with colour and imagination.<\/p>\n

The Cast<\/h3>\n