Opernhaus Bratislava/Pressburg - Hänsel und Gretel

Humperdinck's Gingerbread House is a great adaptation of the well-known fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel. A large orchestra performs the children's songs, brilliant instrumentation embraces the catchy melodies, and yet the clarity of the folk song and the colourful fairy-tale atmosphere is preserved. The Gingerbread House was originally created as a masterpiece for a closed family circle and eventually became a delight for the whole world.
 
Janko and Marienka infuriate their mother, and she sends them into the forest. But their father is worried – there's a witch living in the forest. The children arrive at her gingerbread house, the witch catches them, and after a while, she wants to bake Janko. Thanks to Marienka's wit, however, the witch ends up in the oven herself. The children transformed into gingerbread cookies come to life again, and the parents meet Janko and Marienka.

program

Hänsel und Gretel
Autor: Engelbert Humperdinck
Eine Kinderoper in drei Akten in slowakischer Sprache, slowakische Übertitel

Diese Vorstellung ist für Zuschauer unter 7 Jahren nicht geeignet.
 
Vorstellungsdauer: 2 Std. 15 Min. mit einer Pause

Place

The Slovak National Theatre is the second oldest Slovak professional theatre. It has 3 ensembles (drama, opera and ballet). It was founded in 1920 after the creation of Czechoslovakia as a cooperative and became a state-run company in 1945. Between 1920 and 1945, there was also a musical ensemble. The Slovak National Theatre has represented Slovak culture on its numerous tours abroad.

It was created and, in the 1920s, also run by Czech artists (e.g. Oskar Nedbal, director during 1923-1930). The first performance was the Czech opera Hubička by Bedřich Smetana on March 1, 1920. The ensembles were Slovakized only gradually. In 1932, the drama ensemble split into the SNT Slovak Drama Company led by Janko Borodáč, and into the SNT Czech Drama Company, led by V. Šulc. The Czech Drama Company ceased to operate when it was forced to leave Slovakia in 1938. Since then, the drama ensemble has performed in Slovak only, but in the opera ensemble there were Czech artists even after 1945. In recent years, operas have been presented in their original languages.

Initially, all 3 ensembles were active at the old Slovak National Theatre building. From 1955 to early 2007, the drama company performed at the P. O. Hviezdoslav Theatre and from 1962 to (?)2006 also at a chamber theatre called Malá scéna SND (SNT Small Stage). Since 2007, the ensembles perform only at the old Slovak National Theatre building and the new Slovak National Theatre building opened in April, 2007.

The drama company was shaped by the directors Janko Borodáč, F. Hoffman, J. Jamnický, J.Budský, T. Rakovský, K. I. Zachary, P. Haspra, M. Pietor and the current one – Dušan Jamrich.

The opera ensemble was led by conductors such as Oskar Nedbal, K. Nedbal, J. Vincourek and T. Frešo, and directors including V. Šulc and M. Wasserbauer. The opera became known abroad under the leadership of Czech conductor Oskar Nedbal, who also introduced the first Slovak operas of Jozef Levoslav Bella and V. Figuš Bystrý, and under K. Nedbal, who improved the dramma programme. A great boom occurred after WWII. The SNT witnessed the rise of modern Slovak opera by Eugen Suchoň, Ján Cikker, Alexander Moyzes, Tibor Andrašovan, T. Frešo, and many others. Many singers from the SNT are famous abroad, e.g. Edita Grúberová, Lucia Popp, Peter Dvorský, R. Petrák, S. Kopčák, M. Hajóssyová, E. Jenisová, J. Galla, Jozef Kundlák, and many others.

The ballet ensemble has grown from a small group in 1920 to a huge ensemble today.