“Knusper, knuper, Knäuschen, who’s crunching on my little house?” We all know this quote and the story about the siblings Hansel and Gretel, who are abandoned in the forest by their parents and then find the wicked witch’s gingerbread house. But if you are not only a lover of fairy tales but also of opera, you will get your money’s worth this Advent. No fewer than three theaters in Munich are delighting audiences with different productions of the musical drama in December. Whether you have children or not, indulge in the Advent tradition and see the famous Hansel and Gretel opera, which has even been performed at Tollwood.
Tradition since 1893
Adelheid Wette wanted to perform the Grimm fairy tale as a domestic play and asked her brother Engelbert Humperdnick to set some of the verses to music. The composer complied with this request and the play was a great success within the family. So the siblings decided to turn it into a singspiel. However, Humperdnick enjoyed working on the play so much that he eventually created an entire opera from it. The libretto was written by his sister Adelheid.
When composing the opera, Humperdnick primarily used folk songs. Individual text passages and quotations were taken from well-known songs and he even used three of them unchanged: “Suse, dear Suse, what rustles in the straw?”, “A little man stands in the forest” and “Sister, take care of yourself!” However, the opera itself also produced its own folk songs, which became famous through the opera, including “Abendsegen” and “Brüderchen, komm tanz mit mir”.
The premiere of the opera took place on December 23, 1893 at the Court Theater in Weimar. This is where the tradition of the opera being performed during Advent comes from. The conductor was none other than Richard Wagner, whose music you can hear at the New Year’s Concert in Vienna.
Three times in Munich
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This year, you can look forward to a particularly large dose of Handel and Gretel. In three acts, you can follow the story of the siblings and the wicked witch. The Gärnterplatztheater, the Nationaltheater and the Cuvilliés-Theater are performing the opera for you this year with different offerings. Each theater is staging a production by a different director.
At the Gärtnerplatztheater, people under 30 in particular can save money, as you can get tickets for just €10 on certain dates. The quota is limited and you may have to prove your age at the entrance. There are also two school performances. The production was directed by Peter Kertz.
📍 Location: Gärtnerplatztheater, Gärtnerplatz 3, 80469 Munich
📅 Dates: Between November 30 and January 10, December 04 and January 10 U30
At the Staatsoper, you not only get to see the opera as staged by Richard Jones, you can also take a look behind the scenes. During the children’s introductions, the children get exclusive insights into the work and its realization. Members of the opera company are present and talk about their work and experiences.
📍 Venue: Nationaltheater, Max-Joseph-Platz 2, 80539 Munich
📅 Dates: December 05 to 12
The chamber opera in the Cuvilliés Theater impresses above all with its magnificent backdrop. Under the direction of Dominik Wilgenbus, the opera is brought to life here in the regal ambience of the Residenz.
📍 Venue: Cuvilliés-Theater, Residenzstr. 1, 80333 Munich
📅 Dates: December 18 to 30
If you can’t get enough of classical music during the Christmas season, you can also attend the Candlelight Christmas Concerts.