Hansel and Gretel Is Jan. 6, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The Jan. 6, 2018, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Hansel and Gretel by 19th century German composer Engelbert Humperdinck.

Hansel and Gretel is performed Jan. 6, 2018, as the 2017-2018 Met Opera season's sixth Saturday matinee broadcast: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Feb. 15, 2017

Hansel and Gretel, a three-act, fairy tale opera by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (Sept. 1, 1854-Sept. 27, 1921), is the Jan. 6, 2018, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

The composer’s sister, German librettist and writer Adelheid Witte (Sept. 4, 1858-Aug. 9, 1916), is credited with the original German libretto. The literary source for her libretto is Hänsel und Gretel, a fairy tale of German origin. The Brothers Grimm published the Germanic fairy tale in 1812. Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (Jan. 4, 1785-Sept. 20, 1863) and his brother, Wilhelm Carl Grimm (Feb. 24, 1786-Dec. 16, 1859), collected and published German folk tales.

Humperdinck's operatic fairy tale premiered Dec. 23, 1893. The venue was Weimarer Hoftheater (“Weimar Court Theatre”) in Weimar, Thuringia, central Germany. German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Georg Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949) conducted the premiere of his protégé's first complete opera.

Met Opera's holiday presentation of Hansel and Gretel is performed in English. British librettist and opera director David Pountney (born Sept. 10, 1947) is credited with the libretto's English translation.

Seven performances of Hansel and Gretel are scheduled for the 2017-2018 Met Opera season. Five performances are offered in December, and two are presented in January.

Opening night is Monday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The month's four other performances are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 22, at 8 p.m.; Tuesday, Dec. 26, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 28, at 1 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 30, at 8 p.m.

The operatic fairy tale welcomes the new year with its sixth performance, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. The season's seventh and final performance begins Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. as the 2017-2018 Met Opera season's first Saturday matinee broadcast in new year 2018.

Donald Runnicles conducts all seven performances of Hansel and Gretel. His birthplace is Edinburgh, South East Scotland. The Scottish conductor's Metropolitan Opera debut happened April 7, 1998, in Lulu by Austrian composer Alban Berg (Feb. 9, 1885-Dec. 24, 1935).

Lisette Oropesa appears as Gretel in Jan. 6, 2018's Saturday matinee broadcast. She was born in New Orleans, southeastern Louisiana. The Cuban-American operatic soprano debuted Sept. 28, 2006, as a Cretan woman in the 2006-2007 Met Opera's staging of Idomeneo by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Lisette Oropesa also appears in five other performances. She performs in four of December's five presentations: Dec. 18, 22, 26 and 30. In addition to January 2018's first Saturday matinee broadcast, she also performs in the opera's New Year's Day presentation.

She shares the role of Gretel with Maureen McKay, who appears in the Dec. 28 presentation. The American soprano's hometown is Atlanta, Fulton County, north central Georgia. Maureen McKay makes her Metropolitan Opera debut with her Dec. 28 appearance.

Tara Erraught appears as Hansel in Jan. 6, 2018's Saturday matinee broadcast. Her birthplace is Dublin, Leinster province, eastern coastal Republic of Ireland. The Irish mezzo-soprano debuted Sept. 26, 2017, as The Muse/Nicklausse in the 2017-2018 Met Opera's staging of Les Contes d'Hoffmann by German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (June 20, 1819-Oct. 5, 1880).

Tara Erraught appears as Hansel for six of the opera's seven performances. She shares the role with Ingeborg Gillebo, who appears in the Dec. 28 presentation. The Norwegian mezzo-soprano's birthplace is Lillehammer, Oppland County, southeastern Norway. Ingeborg Gillebo debuted Oct. 14, 2014, at the Metropolitan Opera as Cherubino in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.

Dolora Zajick appears as Gertrude, Hansel and Gretel's mother, for all performances. Her birthplace is Salem, Marion County, northwestern Oregon. The American mezzo-soprano debuted Oct. 8, 1988, as Azucena in the 1988-1989 Met Opera season's staging of Il Trovatore by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). Dolora Zajick reprises her debut role for the 2017-2018 Met Opera's staging of Il Trovatore.

Gerhard Siegel appears as the Witch for all performances. His birthplace is Trostberg, Bavaria, southeastern Germany. The German tenor debuted March 20, 2004, as Mime, a Nibelung dwarf, in the 2003-2004 Met Opera season's staging of Wagner's Das Rheingold.

Quinn Kelsey appears as Peter, Hansel and Gretel's father, in six of the opera's seven performances, including Jan. 6, 2018's Saturday matinee broadcast. His birthplace is Honolulu, southeastern Oahu, Hawaii. The American baritone debuted March 29, 2008, as Schaunard in the 2007-2008 Met Opera season's staging of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). During the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Quinn Kelsey also appears as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor by Italian composer Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848) and as Count di Luna in Verdi's Il Trovatore.

Quinn Kelsey shares the role with Dwayne Croft, who appears in the Dec. 28 presentation. The American baritone's birthplace is Cooperstown, Otsego County, Central New York Region, New York. Dwayne Croft debuted April 18, 1990, as Fiorello in the 1989-1990 Met Opera season's staging of Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Italian composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868). In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Dwayne Croft also appears as Sharpless in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, as Orest in Elektra by German composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949) and as Capulet in Roméo et Juliette by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

The 2017-2018 Met Opera season's presentation of Hansel and Gretel revives staging debuted by Richard Jones during the 2007-2008 Met Opera season. The revival's production team comprises Eric Einhorn, revival stage director; John Macfarlane, set and costume designer; Jennifer Tipton, lighting designer; Linda Dobell, choreographer.

Hansel and Gretel is performed as the sixth of the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s 23 Saturday matinee broadcasts. Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow was the season's fifth Saturday matinee broadcast. The Merry Widow aired Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017, at 1 p.m.

The season’s seventh Saturday matinee broadcast is the double feature affectionately known as CavPag: Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. CavPag is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2018, at 12:30 p.m.

Operabase, an online database, places Engelbert Humperdinck at number 15 in a worldwide ranking of 1,281 composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/2016. Hansel and Gretel holds place 13 in the worldwide list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s Repertory Report shares statistics for the opera house's operatic performances. Hansel and Gretel holds place 32 in the database of 342 operas.

Above Hansel and Gretel, in place 31, is Manon by Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912). Immediately below Hansel and Gretel, in place 33, is Siegfried, third of the four music dramas constituting Der Ring des Nibelungen by Humperdinck's mentor, Richard Wagner.

Humperdinck's fairy tale opera debuted Nov. 25, 1905, at the Metropolitan Opera. British music critic Andrew Brian Porter (Aug. 26, 1928-April 3, 2015) notes in "Met History" for the program's In Focus section that Humperdinck attended Met Opera's premiere.

Hansel and Gretel inaugurated Met Opera's tradition of live matinee radio broadcasts. The opera was first broadcast Christmas Day, 1931.

The opera's most recent inclusion in the Saturday matinee broadcast schedule occurred during the 2016-2017 season. Hänsel und Gretel was the Dec. 24, 2016, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

The takeaway for Hansel and Gretel as the Jan. 6, 2018, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that the 2017-2018 Met Opera season's sixth Saturday matinee broadcast perseveres as a holiday pleaser.

Birmingham, England-born, California-transplant illustrator Sophie Hogarth's illustrated synopsis of Hansel and Gretel's adventures: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Dec. 27, 2017

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Hansel and Gretel is performed Jan. 6, 2018, as the 2017-2018 Met Opera season's sixth Saturday matinee broadcast: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Feb. 15, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10158357868585533.1073741928.20807115532/10158357949180533/

Birmingham, England-born, California-transplant illustrator Sophie Hogarth's illustrated synopsis of Hansel and Gretel's adventures: "Brush up on the story of Hansel and Gretel with this charming illustrated synopsis by Sophie Hogarth. The holiday presentation for families is on stage through Jan 6.": The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Dec. 27, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10159894258760533

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

"Debut: Dolora Zajick." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:294140 Il Trovatore {515} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/8/1988.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=294140

“Debut: Donald Runnicles.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:292020 Lulu {23} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/7/1988.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=292020

"Debut: Dwayne Croft." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:300040 Il Barbiere di Siviglia {442} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/18/1990.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=300040

"Debut: Ingeborg Gillebo." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:355566 Le Nozze di Figaro {465} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/14/2014.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355566

"Debut: Quinn Kelsey." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:352451 La Bohème {1194} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/29/2008.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352451

"Debut: Tara Erraught." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:356746 Les Contes d'Hoffmann {269} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/26/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356746

“Debuts: Lisette Oropesa, Jeffrey Francis, Simon O’Neill.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:351557 Idomeneo {60} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/28/2006.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351557

"Debuts: Richard Jones, John Macfarlane." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:352268 New Production Hänsel und Gretel {240} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 12/24/2007.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352268

"Debuts: Yvonne Naef, Gerhard Siegel." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:350938 Das Rheingold {147} Ring Cycle {103} Uncut. Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 03/20/2004.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=350938

Marriner, Derdriu. "Hänsel und Gretel Is the Dec. 24, 2016, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, Dec. 19, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/12/hansel-und-gretel-is-dec-24-2016.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “The Merry Widow Is Dec. 30, 2017, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Dec. 25, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-merry-widow-is-dec-30-2017-met.html

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera."Brush up on the story of Hansel and Gretel with this charming illustrated synopsis by Sophie Hogarth. The holiday presentation for families is on stage through Jan 6." Facebook. Dec. 27, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10159894258760533

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Holiday Presentation. Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel December 18-January 6 bit.ly/2kxRGG6." Facebook. Feb. 15, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10158357868585533.1073741928.20807115532/10158357949180533/

The Metropolitan Opera (metopera). "Hansel and Gretel opens tomorrow! Humperdinck’s operatic adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale returns on December 18 in the Met’s English-language holiday version for families. Donald Runnicles conducts a delightful cast that includes Lisette Oropesa, @taraerraught, and Dolora Zajick." Instagram.
Available @ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcz_DurnIqM/?hl=en&taken-by=metopera

"Performances Statistics Through October 31, 2016.” MetOpera Database > The Metropolitan Opera Archives > Repertory Report.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/Database%20Opera%20Statistics.xml

Porter, Andrew. "In Focus." Engelbert Humperdinck - Hansel and Gretel. Met Opera > Season > 2017-2018 Programs.
Available @ http://www.metopera.org/metoperafiles/season/2017-18/operas/hansel_and_gretel/programs/010118%20Hansel%20and%20Gretel.pdf

Tara Erraught‏ @TaraErraught. "What a night! Delighted to be back at @MetOpera for #hanselandgretel one of my favorite roles! Alongside @Lisette_Oropesa (Gretel) it’s such a joy to sing with @METOrchestra bravi tutti!!!! #ilovemyjob." Twitter. Dec. 18, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/TaraErraught/status/943000168898678786