or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 

Engelbert Humperdinck - Hansel and Gretel [The Metropolitan Opera HD Live 2007] [DVD] [2008]

Alice Coote , Christine Schäfer , Richard Jones    Exempt   DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Price: £11.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 2 left in stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Learn about LOVEFiLM
Amazon’s film and TV subscription service with unlimited access to thousands of titles to watch instantly, many in HD at no extra cost. Go to LOVEFiLM for title availability. Enjoy a 30-day free trial and watch across many devices including the Kindle Fire. Learn more at LOVEFiLM.com

Frequently Bought Together

Engelbert Humperdinck - Hansel and Gretel [The Metropolitan Opera HD Live 2007] [DVD] [2008] + Puccini - La Boheme [The Metropolitan Opera HD Live 2008] [DVD]
Price For Both: £21.31

These items are dispatched from and sold by different sellers.

Buy the selected items together

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Product details

  • Actors: Alice Coote, Christine Schäfer, Philip Langridge, Rosalind Plowright, Vladimir Jurowski
  • Directors: Richard Jones
  • Format: Classical, Colour, DVD-Video, PAL
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: All Regions
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: Exempt
  • Studio: EMI Virgin Classics
  • DVD Release Date: 15 Sep 2008
  • Run Time: 111 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B001D6OKV0
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 59,224 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

Product Description

This new English language production of Humperdinck's first opera, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, features Alice Coote and Christine Schafer in the title roles with Philip Langridge taking on the part of the Witch. This production was staged by Richard Jones and designed by John Macfarlane. The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.

Product Description

Hansel And Gretel

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Welsh National Opera production 17 July 2009
This is the Welsh National Opera's production of Hansel and gretel, staged by the Met in New York. I enjoyed it much more LIVE in Cardiff, but this recording is a reasonably good interpretation.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars For musical foodies 15 Jan 2009
Sensational production with Philip Langridge as the witch having the time of his life. Amazingly choreographed dream pantomime and the link with food (eating and being eaten) is powerfully and sinisterly expressed. The singing all round is beautiful but Alice Coote rather overdoes the gawkish Handel with a singular line in boyish facial expressions. Christine Schafer as Gretel is stunning and captures the magic of a sister that is not to be intimidated by an older brother. (The psychologist Bruno Bettleheim always claimed that young girls identified with Gretel because the girl in the story turns out to be the hero).

But what makes this beautifully well-sung production so incredible is the amount of food that has to be eaten (or partially eaten) while singing this demanding Wagnerian-like score. And not a gingerbread house in sight - just a huge cake on an equally huge tongue.

And so we come to two negatives: I was uncomfortable with all the (erotic?)smearing of strawberries on faces in the forest scene (the children are supposed to be starving) and I could have done without the Hitler moustache in chocolate during the kitchen scene. An awful lot of good food (and much is real) is gobbled, thrown and splattered in a kitchen that outdoes any pantomime slosh scene. (I admit to having switched channels from starvation in Gaza and the move from famine to feast may have been too much).

But this is theatre that is very much pre-credit crunch with no expense spared! An added bonus is `what goes on behind the scenes', glimpses of which are seen during the overture and the witch's ride: it beats looking endlessly at the oboist's fingers and the gestures of the conductor.

Indulge yourself. Buy it. Feast on it. It makes the recent Covent Garden production - although beautifully sung - thin gruel.

PS And it was good to see the gorgeous Rosalind Plowright as a very slim attractive mother.
Was this review helpful to you?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Hansel and Gretel, Met Opera, DVD 23 Jun 2010
Having been blown away by a Met Opera direct screening at the cinema I was anxious to see how a DVD presentation of a Met Live production fared on my big Sony Bravia HD telly. The home product could not have the same impact as a cinema presentation in a full theatre but was one of the best TV/DVD experiences since the big telly came into the house.
Being a country resident in regional New South Wales with but rare opportunities to visit a proper Opera House, the Met's production of Hansel and Gretel is the first I have seen. Such a wonderful departure from reality with the over-sized sets making the 'children' appear child sized and the introduction of the amazing creatures in rubber skins had me intrigued - Sasha Cooke's Sandman had me imagining Edward Scissorhands.
I was delighted by the singing of the two children, Christine Schafer and Alice Coote - how could you possible expect real children to handle such difficult roles. Rosalind Plowright was a surprise - so young and slender looking for that great voice.
Then there was slightly build Philip Langridge in the rubber fat suit as The Witch. Unique, hilarious, brilliant.
Renee Fleming's talks backstage during the acts enhanced my enjoyment of the production.
Oh yes, Hansel and Gretel was well worth the money.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Update!
Sung in English. A flawless production!

Picture quality 5
Sound quality 5
Sets 5 - each act has a kitchen and food theme. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bosko Grove
4.0 out of 5 stars Babes not quite out of the wood
The opening is in a modernish kitchen, rather run down. The children, Christine Schafer and Alice Coote look 1950ish at a guess. Read more
Published 7 months ago by I. Zaneres
1.0 out of 5 stars Hansel and Gretel
I am afraid we did not like this production from The Met. We are used to more traditional versions as shown on German tv over the years(made in a studio for tv,not a live stage... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Edd
5.0 out of 5 stars Glorious - and sharp too
The evening hymn really gets to me - worth it for that alone - but the costume and the acting are fabulous alongside the music - amazing value
Published 18 months ago by Boydster
5.0 out of 5 stars Hans og Grethe
believe it, it is really a nice opera, Better than expected. transforming the fairy tale to an opera is done whit respect and success. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2010 by prebenj
5.0 out of 5 stars MIke
Superb performances by everyone and especially Alice Coote. Production values generally are very high although the use of non-singing trees in one scene is a bit perplexing. Read more
Published on 5 April 2010 by Granddad Fuddy
5.0 out of 5 stars Hansel and Gretal The Met Live
wonderfull performance from all singer's i have been unable to stop humming the "catchy" tunes. Even had My husband watching it. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2009 by Mrs. J. D. Boon
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges