BY LAURA BIEMMI, TRENDS EDITOR
Halloween might be done and dusted, but the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming performance of Humperdinck’s classic Hansel and Gretel will be packed with witches, fairies, and spooky cursed children.
The opera, which will be performed by the MSO in a concert setting, sets the well-known fairytale to what soprano Stacey Alleaume describes as “one of the most beautifully composed works I’ve ever encountered”.
A recipient of the Dame Joan Sutherland Scholarship and a member of Opera Australia’s Moffatt Oxenboud Young Artist program, Stacey will be performing the dual roles of the Sandman and the Dew Fairy alongside the MSO. However, her connection with Hansel and Gretel stretches back years.
“I just really love this opera; I’ve seen it at the Met, and I’ve performed an abridged version as Gretel before,” Stacey reminisces.
“Having had my first little taste of performing the opera, it’s going to be really wonderful to sing another part and perform the whole thing.”
Singing two roles in the one performance might seem daunting, but it’s the tradition of this opera to have the Sandman and the Dew Fairy sung by the same performer. In approaching these roles, Stacey describes them as “the good and the bad”.
“A lot of children are quite scared of the Sandman putting Hansel and Gretel to sleep. But the Dew Fairy is the lovely one that wakes them up and brings them out of this terrible sleep they’ve had.
“But musically, they’re very similar.”
Having fairies sprinkle sand and dew into the eyes of children might not be terribly relatable or appealing, but to Stacey, the opera’s exploration of the child experience through a fairytale setting endears the story to children and adults alike.
“It’s a fairytale that we’ve all experienced as children, and the story is appealing since we already know [how it goes]. But what I think this opera really relates to are instances of being scared or doing something for the first time – and the relief of being reunited with our parents; what we all go through when we’re young.”
In addition to the themes of childhood and youth, Stacey considers the idea of family an integral aspect of the work. “The libretto was written by Humperdinck’s sister, and she encouraged him to write the opera, too. It’s a family story written by siblings; I think that’s really sweet!”
Though the MSO’s concert setting of Hansel and Gretel means no costumes or sets, Stacey is confident that Humperdinck’s music alone will be able to tell the story effectively.
“The concert setting is really about telling the story through the text and the music. The music is highly illustrative and really brings out the drama; you can feel where there’s tension, when the children are happy or scared.”
The structure of the opera has a role in the drama, too. Stacey describes it as “not in sections; it’s through-composed, so it keeps going, and you actually feel as if you’re on a musical journey because the music just doesn’t stop”.
So the MSO may not be spooking their audiences with elaborate sets and terrifying costumes, but the beauty of Humperdinck’s score will leave concertgoers in good hands.
See Stacey Alleaume perform with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Hansel and Gretel in Concert, 28 and 30 November.
We’ve teamed up with the MSO to bring you this story — did you check out mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong’s interview? In our story by Jasmine Middleton, this Hansel and Gretel star (pictured above) reveals what it truly means to grow up.
Images supplied. Elizabeth captured by Kristen Hobermann.
