Performance Hansel and Gretel in Fargo-Moorhead Opera

For my fourth journal I chose to attend the Fargo-Moorhead Opera. The drive from Grand Forks was definitely worth it for this one. The opera took place on Sunday, October 27th at 2 PM, in Reineke Concert Hall located on the campus of North Dakota State University. Engelbert Humperdinck composed a performance of the classic Hansel and Gretel. Hansel and Gretel is a well-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale about two siblings, brother Hansel and sister Gretel, who set out on a hunt for something to eat but not long before their luck turns to the bad side. Their hunt winds them up lost in the forest where they discover a mystical candy house. Here is where another main character came into play, the deceiving “Gingerbread Witch”, who lures them in with the intent to eat them. Originally, Hansel and Gretel was composed by Engelbert Humperdinck, German composer and professor of harmony, in the early 1890’s and becoming ready to appear in the opera house in 1893. The music, lighting, props/staging dramatics, etc. all came together in this performance to give me a clear-cut view of each of the elements of music.

The opera opens in Hansel and Gretel’s home, as Hansel is grumbling about his hunger. Their mother comes home and sends them out into the woods which leads them to getting lost and meeting the witch and other bizarre characters. So many different sounds, emotions, and styles came together to create this phenomenal performance. The rhythm varies throughout the show as it starts upbeat music before the children’s parents arrive home, before going into deep accents or slow tempos during times of uncertainty or freight for the siblings. The melody and harmony of the opera was brought together by multiple instruments, such as violins, cellos, clarinets, bassoons, trombones, French horns, xylophones, piano, bells, and even gongs, along with many others. The orchestra was able to combine families of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion, while still stably organizing and clearly expressing the events and sounds. The texture of this opera performance was polyphonic as several interlocking melodies and voices created the harmony. Things like the tenor, alto, and counter of both were easily distinguished also by the texture while observing melodies and notes of the female and male characters. The text setting of the show is German, showing heavy consonants, showing connections to composer Engelbert Humperdinck. As the opera progresses throughout you see that the portions aren’t usually repeated, it’s all distinctive, showing the form of the show as through-composed. When it comes to expressive content, this opera gave a clear view of Humperdincks’ emotional message. This fairytale, originating in the medieval period, shows how desperate the people of this time were, as they would abandon their children in order to meet living conditions. As do the parents in the beginning of the show before Hansel and Gretel set out into the woods.

Altogether, the opera performance of Hansel and Gretel was the perfect opportunity for me to scrutinize a form of art and relate it to the elements of music. The melody, harmony, texture, and form were all well fitted with the lighting and dramatics. Humperdinck’s German connections show throughout the performance, giving it unmistakable ties to the text setting and expressive content.