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Engelbert Humperdinck (1860-1903)
Prelude to Hansel and Gretel
Humperdinck worked with Richard Wagner at Bayreuth. Although he wished to emulate Wagner's musical style, Humperdinck was not as widely respected as his idol Wagner. The revival of the post-Romantic interest in Marchenoper, or fairy tale opera, gave Humperdinck a notable place in music history.
Hansel and Gretel (1893) was his first and most prominent contribution to Marchenoper. The musical themes from the opera were taken from Germanic folk songs and children's songs. The libretto is based on a Brothers Grimm magical fairy tale, while within the opera, the harmonic structure is similar to Wagner's Die Meistersinger.
The beginning of the Overture features the horns playing a heartwarming chorale-like theme. A faster section follows, which develops the thematic material with colorful orchestration, while carefully preserving the counterpoint. The prelude concludes quietly and the horns repeat the opening theme.
-- program notes by Laurien Jones