Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel, EHWV 93.3 (Live) Katrin Wundsam, Albert Dohmen, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin & Marek Janowski

• Engelbert Humperdinck (.b.1936): Hänsel und Gretel, EHWV 93.3, Act I:
• 1Act I: Vorspiel (Live)08:11
• 2Act I: Suse, liebe Suse, was raschelt im Stroh? (Live)03:08
• 3Act I: So recht! Und willst du nun nicht mehr klagen (Live)01:58
• 4Act I: Brüderchen, komm, tanz mit mir (Live)03:29
• 5Act I: Holla!... Himmel, die Mutter! (Live)01:38
• 6Act I: Marsch! Fort in den Wald! (Live)02:02
• 7Act I: Rallalala, rallalala, heißa Mutter, ich bin da! (Live)02:24
• 8Act I: Hoho! Wer spek-spektakelt mir (Live)04:01
• 9Act I: Doch halt, wo bleiben die Kinder? (Live)01:38
• 10Act I: Wenn sie sich verirrten im Walde dort (Live)01:14
• 11Act I: Eine Hex’, steinalt (Live)02:23
• Hänsel und Gretel, EHWV 93.3, Act II:
• 12Act II: Der Hexenritt (Live)03:53
• 13Act II: Ein Männlein steht im Walde (Live)01:38
• 14Act II: Mein Erbelkörbchen ist voll bis oben! (Live)04:25
• 15Act II: Gretel, ich weiß den Weg nicht mehr! (Live)03:29
• 16Act II: Der kleine Sandmann bin ich (Live)02:48
• 17Act II: Abends, will ich schlafen geh’n (Live)03:05
• 18Act II: Traumpantomime (Live)04:51
• Hänsel und Gretel, EHWV 93.3, Act III:
• 19Act III: Vorspiel (Live)02:19
• 20Act III: Der kleine Taumann heiß’ ich (Live)01:29
• 21Act III: Wo bin ich? (Live)04:38
• 22Act III: Bleib steh’n! (Live)00:35
• 23Act III: Wie duftet’s von dorten (Live)03:23
• 24Act III: Knusper, knusper Knäuschen (Live)03:10
• 25Act III: Ich bin Rosina Leckermaul (Live)03:47
• 26Act III: Halt!... Hokus pokus (Live)01:17
• 27Act III: Nun Gretel, sei vernünftig und nett! (Live)04:44
• 28Act III: Hurr hopp hopp hopp (Live)01:21
• 29Act III: Auf, wach auf, mein Jüngelchen (Live)03:34
• 30Act III: Juchhei! Nun ist die Hexe tot (Live)02:29
• 31Act III: Erlöst, befreit, für alle Zeit! (Live)03:47
• 32Act III: Vater! Mutter! (Live)02:05
• Total Runtime01:34:53

Info for Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel, EHWV 93.3 (Live)

Is it possible to administer at too early an age the intoxicating and gloriously sweet poison of opera, especially in an era of constant muzak? The clear answer is “No!”. In a splendidly moving new recording of Engelbert Humperdinck’s one-hit wonder Hansel and Gretel, Maestro Marek Janowski now introduces the perfect “gateway drug” to opera.

The fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel is a perfect choice as the first joint trip to the opera for parents and children to enjoy. The story of the two children who lose their way in the forest and are ensnared by the evil witch is well-known. The plot reflects the age-old conflict between good and evil, and has a happy ending. Add to this Humperdinck’s magical music: poetically childlike and powerfully dramatic at the same time. In the score, Humperdinck’s close connection to Richard Wagner is always discernible. The composition oscillates between childlike simplicity and adult monumentality.

To this day, Hansel and Gretel remains one of the most popular pieces in the German opera repertoire. One of the main reasons for this is certainly the seriousness with which Humperdinck approached the simple story. All emotions are truly felt: and this is obvious not only to a child, but also to any adult who has retained a childlike view of the world.

Who better than Marek Janowski here as conductor? Not only does he clearly feel completely at home in this late-Romantic German repertoire, he has also already given benchmark-setting interpretations of these works in both the major concert halls and the most important opera-houses. At the head of “his” Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin – which he previously led for 14 years, raising it to an outstanding level of playing – he takes the listeners into the forest-bird sound-world of this fairy-tale opera, at all times accompanied by a well-coordinated ensemble of singers.

Manuel Brug wrote the following for Klassiker Welt-Blog: “Coming from the Wagner camp are Albert Dohmen (Peter) and Ricarda Merbeth (Gertrud) as the parents, who pulled out all vocal stops in a highly dramatic and parodic manner. Tenor Christian Elsner was terrific as the wicked witch. The lyrical ladies’ quartet (Katrin Wundsam as Hansel, Alexandra Steiner as Gretel, Annika Gerhards and Alexandra Hutton as the Sandman and, respectively, the Dew Fairy) sang in sweetly beautiful voice, in accordance with their roles.”

Ricarda Merbeth, soprano (Mother)
Albert Dohmen, bass-baritone (Father)
Christian Elsner, tenor (Gingerbread Witch)
Katrin Wundsam, mezzo-soprano (Hänsel)
Alexandra Hutton, soprano (Little Dew Fairy)
Annika Gerhards, soprano (Little Sandman)
Alexandra Steiner, soprano (Gretel)
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Kinderchor Staatsoper Berlin
Vinzenz Weissenburger, Chorus master
Marek Janowski, conductor

Katrin Wundsam
grew up in Neustift, Upper Austria. For a long time she was going to take over the family farm, and because of that, it was not clear if her early musical talents would come to fruition. She first studied International Business at the Kepler University Linz and was taking singing lessons at the Bruckner-University Linz with Prof. Gerald Trabesinger at the same time. After graduating her Business Studies as “MBA”, she decided to continue studying singing at the Mozarteum Salzburg. She was taught by Prof. Ingrid Mayr and attended Master Classes with Kurt Widmer, Robert Holl and Wolfgang Holzmair, to name but a few. Since then she keeps having voice lessons with Prof. Ingrid Mayr (Salzburg) and Prof. Margreet Honig (Amsterdam)

From January – July 2007 she was part of the ensemble of the Theater of Passau, Germany, where she appeared as Bradamante (Orlando Furioso, Vivaldi), Miss Jessel (Turn of the Screw, Britten) and Anaide (Florentiner Strohhut, Rota).

From May 2007 – July 2008 she was engaged as Olga (Eugen Onegin), Flora (La Traviata) and Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos) at the Landestheater Linz, Austria. Following that, in Summer 2008, she debuted at the Bregenzer Festspiele, Austria, “4. Geist/4. Uhr” in Ernst Krenek’s “Karl V.”

From October 2008 – March 2009 she was performing Bradamante (A. Vivaldi, „Orlando Furioso“) at the Operahouse Bonn, Germany.

In May 2009 she had her debut as Orfeo (Gluck “Orfeo et Euridice”) at the Theater Bad Hall, Austria.

Since September 2009 she has been an ensemble member of the Operahouse Cologne. Roles since then include Mercedes (Carmen), Nicklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffman), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Fuchs (Das schlaue Füchslein), Flosshilde/2. Norn (Das Rheingold/Götterdämmerung), Grimgerde (Walküre), Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito), Ottavia (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), Penelope (Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria), Bradamante (Alcina).

In 2011 she had her very succesfull debuts as Dorabella (Cosí fan tutte) and Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) at the Hamburgische Staatsoper.

Perfomances at Oper Köln in 2012/13 were Preziosilla (Forza del Destino), Dorabella (Cosí fan tutte), Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito), Smeton (Anna Bolena) and Martuccia (Die Gezeichneten).

In summer 2013 she sang 3. Dame (Die Zauberflöte) and 9. Symphonie (Beethoven) at the Bregenzer Festspiele. She returned there as well in summer 2014 with the 3. Dame and for the opening mass of the Bregenz Festival – Krönungsmesse (Mozart). Next to that, she appeared as La Mort in „Le Rossignol“ and as La Tortue in „L’hirondelle inattendue“ (Strawinsky/Laks) in the Family-Opera Production at the Festivalhouse Bregenz.

In May 2014 Katrin Wundsam had her debut as Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) at Hamburgische Staatsoper and in June 2014 she debuted at the Semperoper Dresden as Dorabella – where she returned with the same role in October 2014.

Another debut in June 2014 was in the Wiener Musikverein with Strawinskys „Les Noces“ and Schumanns „Requiem für Mignon“. More concerts in the season 13/14 and 14/15 took her to Switzerland, she had her debut at the Kölner Philharmonie with Berio „Folksongs“, she sang in Hambug, debuted at Konzerthaus Berlin and as well in Schloss Grafenegg (Krems).

In Autumn 2014 she sang Cosí fan tutte (Dorabella) and Die Zauberflöte (3.Dame) at the Oper Köln. In April 2015 she sang Lola Blau in the production „Heute Abend – Lola Blau“ (Kreisler) at the Oper Köln, staging by Eike Ecker and piano by Rainer Mühlbach.

In May 2015 she will have her debut as Carmen (Bizet) at the Oper Köln, staging Christof Loy, Conductor Claude Schnitzler.

Albert Dohmen
has made a long international career with the highlight of his Wozzeck at the 1997 Salzburg Easter and Summer Festival with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras conducted by Claudio Abbado and directed by Peter Stein. After that he worked with famous conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Claudio Abbado, James Conlon and many others. He interpreted the important roles of his Fach (like Kurwenal, Pizarro, Amfortas, Holländer, Scarpia, Balubart, Hans Sachs) at the major international opera houses like the Bastille in Paris, Covent Garden, the Bavarian State Opera, at the opera houses of Zurich, Amsterdam, at the Liceo Barcelona, the Vienna State Opera, the opera in Los Angeles etc. He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera New York in 2003/04 as Jochanaan / SALOME.

Albert Dohmen is one of the leading Wotan singers of his generation. He sang this part in complete Ring cycles in Trieste (1999 and 2000), Geneva (1999, 2000 and 2001), Catania (2000, 2001 and 2002), at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Vienna State Opera in 2003 and at Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam in 2004 and 2005 and at the MET in 2009.

Important opera projects of the past few years were among others his debut as Hans Sachs / MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG at the Grand Théâtre Genève, productions of MEISTERSINGER as well as ELEKTRA (Orest) in Barcelona, Pizarro / FIDELIO under the baton of Claudio Abbado at different Italian opera houses, in Madrid and in Baden-Baden, a new production SALOME in Amsterdam, ELEKTRA in Baden-Baden under the baton of Christian Thielemann, debuts as Gurnemanz / PARSIFAL in Geneve and as Barak / FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN in Florence, .

Albert Dohmen made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival 2007 performing Wotan / Wanderer in the RING cycles with revivals in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Albert Dohmen is also a very successful concert singer. He has sung the entire bass repertoire from Bach to Schönberg in all important concert halls and at international festivals, for example Beethovens IX. Symphony under Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Brahm’s Requiem, also under Kurt Masur at the St. Denis Festival, Mahlers VIII. symphony under Valery Gergiev and GURRELIEDER, Beethoven’s IXth under James Levine, Mahler VIII under Christian Thielemann, only to mention a few.

Recent and future projects are among others faust, the flying dutchman, and elektra at the Vienna State Opera, fidelio in Munich, der ring des nibelungen and the flying dutchman at the Hamburg Sate Opera and a new production of lohengrin/King Heinrich at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Albert Dohmen made his debut in the title role in a new production of falstaff in Stuttgart and from 2013 on he performed in Barcelona in ring des nibelungen the roles Wotan and Wanderer. These performances were followed by tristan/King Marke at the Vienna Sate Opera, the title role in herzog blaubarts burg in Oviedo and his debut as Rocco in fidelio in Geneva.

At the Bayreuth Festival 2015 Albert Dohmen sings the part of Alberich in DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN.

He recorded numerous discs, among others Zemlinsky’s FLORENTINISCHE TRAGÖDIE with the Concertgebouw-Orkest under Riccardo Chailly and three recordings under Sir Georg Solti (FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN, FIDELIO and MEISTERSINGER).

Booklet for Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel, EHWV 93.3 (Live)