The University of Iowa School of Music's “Hansel und Gretel" at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts -- October 16 through 18.
Friday, October 16, through Sunday, October 18
Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, 1301 Fifth Street, Coralville IA
Boasting music direction by Martin Majkut and stage direction by Abbigail Coté, with Matthew Clarke serving as conductor, the acclaimed Hansel und Gretel enjoys an October 16 through 18 run at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, this enchanting opera inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale performed by gifted students at the University of Iowa School of Music.
Lost in the woods after wandering from home, siblings Hänsel and Gretel encounter a mysterious cottage filled with tempting treats, as well as a witch with sinister intentions. Nineteenth-century composer Engelbert Humperdinck's beloved opera transforms the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale into a lush, magical adventure featuring unforgettable melodies and soaring choruses. Performed in German and boasting an unforgettable libretto by Humperdinck's sister Adelheid Wette, the University of Iowa School of Music's production explores the Grimm's enduring tale through a haunting new lens, the work much-admired for its folk music-inspired themes, including the particularly famed "Abendsegen" ("Evening Benediction") from Act II.
Hansel und Gretel was first conducted in Weimar by Richard Strauss in 1893, followed by its Hamburg premiere on September 25, 1894, which was conducted by Gustav Mahler. Its first performance outside Germany was in Basel, Switzerland November 16 of that same yea. The first performance in England was in London on December 26, 1894, at Daly's Theatre, and Hansel und Gretel's United States debut performance was held on October 8, 1895, in New York. Although the University of Iowa School of Music will present the piece in German, Hansel und Gretel is most often performed in English in English-speaking countries. The longtime standard English translation was by Constance Bache. In the United States, the opera was often performed in a translation by Norman Kelley written for the Metropolitan Opera's 1967 production by Nathaniel Merrill and Robert O'Hearn. In 1987, a darkly comic production with English translation by David Pountney was created for the English National Opera in London. Since 2007, the Met has performed the work in a production originally created for the Welsh National Opera using Pountney's translation.
The University of Iowa School of Music's Hansel und Gretel will be performed at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts October 16 through 18, with performances on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Admission is $15-25, and more information is available by calling (319)248-9370 and visiting CoralvilleArts.org.
