Hansel and Gretel: losing their religion
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a previous post.]
I love the opera “Hansel and Gretel,” by Engelbert Humperdinck (no, not that Humperdinck or this one; this one). His name may be a yuk, but the music he composed is among the masterpieces of opera, soaring and sonorous, tuneful and moving, and altogether delightful.
“Hansel and Gretel” is often performed at Christmastime, being suitable for children. The original German is rarely used in this country, and there are various well-known and well-loved English translations. A few years ago, when I read that the Metropolitan Opera of NY was doing the work, I thought of going down to see it, because it’s such a favorite of mine.
And then I checked out the Met’s website, and watched a video there of the production. My ears were not offended; the voices, as expected, were great. But I could hardly believe my eyes.
First, in order for you to understand why, let me set the scene, directly following the famous Prayer Song which occurs after the children have discovered themselves lost in the dark and dangerous forest and the Sandman has come to help them sleep by sprinkling sand in their eyes. The German libretto then has Gretel singing that it’s time to say their evening prayers, and the words of the prayer song that follows are very specific in describing a religious image of comfort and protection: fourteen angels will surround the children to guard them from harm while they sleep.
Most stagings—in fact, all stagings I had ever seen—follow what are really clear instructions in the libretto when they set up the scene that directly follows, in which the music of the Prayer Song is expanded, rising and swelling as the children fall asleep with visions of these angels (or perhaps actual angels) guarding them. It’s an exceptionally beautiful and inspirational image.
Well, here we have the Met’s newer, improved version (for those unfamiliar with the opera, don’t be surprised at the fact that Hansel is always played by a woman dressed as a boy in what’s known as a “breeches” role):
The original setting has turned into a Sendak-esque, vaguely threatening scene in which the fourteen angels have become chefs In the Night Kitchen. I believe it’s no accident that the unabashedly religious aspect of the opera has been turned into secular emptiness (although perhaps “emptiness” is not the best word, since this is about food). And this staging is not just wrong because it represents a change from the traditional, or because it’s not religious; it’s wrong because it goes against the fact that the music itself expresses holiness and serenity. One might even say that the music is celestial. So the concept behind the staging goes against the music as well.
In case you want an antidote, here’s the old Met production, before angels feared to tread there. I have kept the Prayer Song because it’s so beautiful, too; it constitutes the first two minutes, and is sung here in an English translation that is inferior to the one I know best, which explicitly describes the fourteen angels and their relative positioning in the tableau, and is also a better rendition of the original German (for greater enjoyment, go to the full screen version to watch):
Merry Christmas!
[ADDENDUM: For those of you who didn’t follow the link above to “the one I know best,” here it is:
When at night I go to sleep,
Fourteen angels watch do keep.
Two my head are guarding:
Two my feet are guiding:
Two are on my right hand;
Two are on my left hand;
Two who warmly cover;
Two who o’er me hover;
Two to whom ’tis given
To guide my steps to Heaven. ]
Re the clip from the old Met production you’ve provided: how moving. Thank you.
I remember singing this song in my elementary school music class. Our music teacher was really big into music literacy, so we sang a lot ofa wide variety of various stuff. Not very well, but the primary purpose was music literacy. It was a public school — I’ll bet they can’t/won’t let kids doing this song anymore.
Sad.
R. Strauss (Schwarzkopf, Szell): Beim Schlafengehen
I’m a mild fan of opera, and it’s shocking what stage designers and directors have been doing in recent years. If you go to see an Aida these days, expect it to be set in a brothel with naked slave girls (or boys) fellating men in Nazi uniforms. I don’t know if this trend has made its way into dance, so maybe you’ve never run across it before.
I’ve never been to an opera, but I’m very familiar with the music. My parents were big opera fans, and I also played the piano for awhile where I played some pieces from this opera (and others).
Thank you for sharing the original version of the angels scene. Absolutely beautiful production. I’m seriously confused by the ‘newer’ version with the creepy chefs/fishhead person. Why? Why? Why? It makes no sense whatsoever with the music, nor the prayer the children sing previous to the scene.
Anyway, the 2nd video was gorgeous.
For children who have been starving their whole life, wouldn’t heaven be all about food?
Well, at least Gretel isn’t wearing a hijab……yet.
Nothing odd here. Descending angels watching over endangered children, fish-heads and trees serving them a meal, it’s practically the same thing. The only question is why they both left out the sex/race/class subtext.
I truly fail to understand why it needed to be changed. Humperdink got it right the first time.
Perfect. Secular gluttony. What other virtues will the amoral embrace?
Apparently, virtue, as progress, is an unqualified concept in a liberal society.
A few years ago, I went to the newest version of “Brideshead Revisited.”I had adored the original which had been a 13 week series on Public Television in the 70s.The story is a moving one of conversion which mirrored the author, Evelyn Waugh’s, life.
At the end of the new movie I almost shouted to all assembled;”This is not the story.”They took the spiritual journey out and left nothing, a glowing candle that meant nothing. I couldn’t believe it.
The next thing will be the New Bible, with God taken out.
LTEC:
I don’t think that heaven would be all about food, even for starving children.
In the opera, the starvation of the children is hardly ignored or minimized. It is a big, big theme, but so is religion as a rescuer and comfort. In terms of what starving children might fantasize about food in this life, the opera offers the gingerbread-candy house of the witch. It is quite a scene, actually, where they greedily and joyfully go at it in taking candy off the house and eating it, and then the witch appears to ask who is nibbling at her house.
I’ve seen too many operas and plays where the weird production concepts overwhelm and destroy the original. Sometimes it works. I have fond memories of Opera North’s production of Prokofiev’s Love for Three Oranges, back in the early 90’s. I saw a punk version of A Midsummer’s Night Dream at the RSC in Stratford, which worked well. I saw another version at the National Theatre, which was set in a giant mud pool. That did not work.
I’m surprised the Met did a strange version. We saw five operas there back in January and the productions were all fairly conventional.
Progressives ruin everything.
“If you go to see an Aida these days, expect it to be set in a brothel with naked slave girls (or boys) fellating men in Nazi uniforms.”
That sounds great, Nick! Where can I get tickets?
This theme goes way back – the Jewish prayer book mentions the archangels – Gabriel, Michael, Uriel – surrounding one’s bed in a similar prayer.
I haven’t attended a live opera in a loooong time – largely because of the ludicrous productions which add nothing.
Just buy the CDs.
One more example of the decline of Western Civilization brought to us by secular progressives.
In the late seventies, I saw a “disco” version of Webster’s “White Devil.” It was the late seventies, disco was “in.” But the audience LAUGHED at the end when pretty much the only surviving person, a kid, picked up a boom box, turned it on to “I Will Survive,” put it on his shoulder and boogied off stage.
Realize that the stage is covered on corpses blood when this happens; Jacobean drama at its… Jacobeanist.
Pingback:Maggie's Farm
I was in theater in the 1970’s and this sort of reworking was all the rage. It’s merely irritating now.
}}} Two to whom ’tis given To guide my steps to Heaven.
So… these two are there, just in case the rest of them fuck up?
😀
}}} But the audience LAUGHED at the end when pretty much the only surviving person, a kid, picked up a boom box, turned it on to “I Will Survive,” put it on his shoulder and boogied off stage
Sounds like a classic joke — a pun, a form of light humor, which was in sharp contrast to the situation, hence becoming High Black Humor.
}}} The next thing will be the New Bible, with God taken out.
That’s pretty much already where American Methodism is well down the path to, more by ignoring God than by removing Him.
There was a sharp break within the AMs a decade or so ago, wherein the traditionalists broke off and “re”-joined the American Anglicans, when the top brass of the AMs decided to allow females and gays in church administration at all levels — particularly gays. They probably allow trans priests, these days…