Hansel Und Gretel. (Metropolitan Opera).(Critical Essay)

BROADCAST OF DECEMBER 29, 2001 SPONSORED BY CHEVRONTEXACO OVER THE CHEVRONTEXACO-METROPOLITAN OPERA INTERNATIONAL RADIO NETWOR, 1:30 P.M.

THE STORY

ACT I. In a sunny clearing, deep in the forest near the Ilsenstein peak, stands the cottage of Peter the broommaker. His children, Hansel and Gretel, have been left alone while their parents are off selling brooms. Gretel puts down the stocking she is knitting to recite a nursery rhyme ("Suse, liebe Suse"), which Hansel interrupts with cries of hunger. Gretel chases her brother through the house, calling him a complaining crocodile, then shows him a treat -- a pitcher of milk hidden in the cupboard -- but will not let him drink it. To keep him happy, she begins to teach him to dance ("Bruderchen, komm tanz' mit mir"). The lesson degenerates into horseplay until Gertrude, their mother, bursts in and scolds her rowdy children. When Hansel laughs at Gretel's punishment, his mother starts after him and in her haste smashes the milk pitcher. Furious that dinner is ruined, Gertrude sends both children out to find some wild strawberries. Worn down by poverty and hunger, she lets her head sink down on the table. Soon, the cheery voice of Peter is heard in the distance ("Ra la la la"). Slightly tipsy from celebrating, he sits down outside the house to finish his bottle, then enters and tells his wife he has sold his brooms to a wedding party for the best price he has ever received ("Druben hinterm Herrenwald"). He opens his knapsack in an excess of high spirits and begins unloading food onto the floor. Suddenly noticing the children's absence, he asks where they are. When Gertrude says they have gone into the wood, he is horrified. He tells her of a Witch who lives there, who bakes children into gingerbread. The two rush off to search for Hansel and Gretel in the dark, mysterious forest (interlude: Witches' Ride).

In a forest glade, Gretel is collecting wildflowers while Hansel picks the last of the berries ("Ein Mannlein steht im Walde"). He offers his harvest to Gretel, who eats some of the fruit as they start for home. A cuckoo calls, and the children, distracted, imitate the bird, eating strawberries all the while. As darkness falls, they realize they have emptied the basket and it is too late to refill it. Worse yet, they are lost. Their fears grow as they imagine creatures of the forest behind every tree. Just as they notice an owl glowering menacingly from a branch, an old man appears with a large sack and scatters golden sand, promising sleep ("Der kleine Sandmann bin ich"): After the Sandman leaves, the children kneel to say their prayers ("Abends will ich schlafen gehn"). They sink back on the moss, arm in arm. The glade is gradually transfigured, as a golden light filters down from above. Fourteen angels descend and watch over the sleeping children.

ACT II. The Dew Fairy, sprinkling silver droplets, awakens Gretel ("Der Kleine Taumann heiss' ich"), who drags the sleepy Hansel to his feet. The trees vanish, and a colorful, turreted candy house appears. On one side is a huge cage, and at the rear, rows of gingerbread children form a fence on either side ("Wie duftet's von dorten"). When Hansel breaks a piece of cake from one of the windows, a voice from inside the house asks, "Who's nibbling at my house?" A crone comes out and offers the children sweets; when they refuse her blandishments, she puts a spell on them and claps Hansel in the cage. Gretel is released to go inside and set the Witch's table; a huge oven comes into view. In a paroxysm of joy at her prospective banquet, the Witch gleefully rides her broomstick. The clever Gretel has overheard the magic words, and she whispers them, breaking the spell on Hansel. Then, when the Witch orders her to check on the oven, Gretel pretends she doesn't know how. As the old woman leans in to show her, Gretel gives her a shove and slams the door. She frees her brother, and the two dance about joyously ("Juchhei! ...