Hansel and Gretel

A protégée of Richard Wagner’s—even assisting on the world premiere of the composer’s Parsifal at Bayreuth—Engelbert Humperdinck imbued his musical adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm fable with all the gravitas and orchestral color of any grand drama, while also filling it with the whimsical fantasy of a proper fairy tale. In this exuberant radio broadcast of the Met’s English-language version of Hansel and Gretel, mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught and soprano Lisette Oropesa are a perfect pair as the title youngsters, getting up to more than their fair share of operatic hijinks. Tenor Gerhard Siegel gives a delightfully wicked performance at the child-hungry Witch, with veteran mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick and commanding baritone Quinn Kelsey as the children’s parents, Gertrud and Peter. Donald Runnicles takes the podium to conduct Humperdinck’s scrumptious score, which is every bit delicious as the Witch’s irresistible gingerbread house.