Reflection on Hansel and Gretel

Watching Hansel and Gretel was a great way to see off the semester and really got me ready for Christmas. When I saw the arrangements of the three acts and the staging it suddenly seemed very familiar to me. I then realized that I had actually seen the performance of this opera before in my eighth grade music class on the class projector but seeing it in person was so much more engaging.  When the first scene of the house came up it almost didn’t look real. I don’t know if it was the depth perception they created or if it was just our position high up in the theatre but it was incredibly cinematic and attests to the hard work of the Met. As I was listening to the opera I realized that the language an opera is in is insignificant because in many ways Opera operates in its own universal language. It is the language of drama and emotional swings in vocalized form that complements the orchestration. Opera functions on this beautiful and seamless blend of instrumentation and voice that conveys emotions and drives a narrative.

I liked watching this particular opera because it’s so timeless and innocent and childlike in spirit. I particularly liked the chefs and the witch. I think the tale has endured so long and continues to remain relevant because it was adapted to the opera. It appeals to our simple sense of enjoyment and fantasy. Lincoln Center has always had a special place in my life. I had been to performances at Avery Fisher Hall and the ballet theatre before but this was my first time watching an opera there and it was a fitting end to an eclectic and refreshing first semester in college.