This holiday season, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) stages a spectacular new production of Humperdinck's beloved fairy tale opera Hansel and Gretel featuring artists from the HGO Studio and members of the HGO Orchestra and Children's Chorus. Eleven public performances, December 1-23, will offer ample opportunities for opera patrons to enjoy this holiday treat.
The production is directed and designed by America's premier puppeteer Basil Twist, whose works have dazzled audiences across the continent and in Europe. Called "true magic" by The New York Times, Twist's work fuses music and puppetry into spellbinding theatrical experiences. His largest puppet for Hansel and Gretel is a giant witch built by The Jim Henson Company. Twist built the remaining puppets himself, including several marionettes and bunraku puppets.
Hansel and Gretel showcases artists from the internationally acclaimed HGO Studio, one of the world's finest programs for opera's future stars. Irish mezzo-soprano Fiona Murphy and American soprano Rebekah Camm star as the brother and sister who get lost in the woods and are captured by the Witch, sung by American baritone Liam Bonner. American soprano Jennifer Root and American bass-baritone Ryan McKinny sing the Mother and Father, and Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova sings the Sandman and the Dew Fairy. Russian mezzo-soprano Maria Markina and American soprano Alicia Gianni will sing the title roles for three performances, plus a student matinee. Twist leads the creative team, with lighting by Gordon W. Olson. HGO's new Head of Music Staff Kathleen Kelly makes her house debut conducting her new chamber orchestration of the familiar score. Children's Chorus Master is Karen Reeves. The English translation is by Cori Ellison.
Hansel and Gretel opened Friday, December 1, 2006, but there is still time to witness this magnificent production before the holidays and the show are over. Further performances are scheduled for December 13 and 20 at 8:00 p.m., and December 17 and 23 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
