We are preparing the premiere of the opera Hansel and Gretel
Our boys are spending long winter evenings on the rehearsal stage of the Slovak National Theatre Opera. The children's opera in three acts, Hansel and Gretel, will premiere on March 1, 2025. We are preparing it under the direction of Dana Dinková:
“I knew that the boys were musically talented, but still, I approached the first rehearsal with a question mark, wondering how I would be able to cast them. And I must say, I was absolutely thrilled. Originally, the boys' choir was written into the script only at the end. However, after that first rehearsal, I decided that I wanted to utilize their talent throughout the entire piece. So, they were given the role of angelic voices, and also right at the beginning, when the witch lures the poor children with gingerbread, and they are tempted to be lured in so she can bake and eat them, the boys will beautifully embody this role. The atmosphere during rehearsals is excellent; I have a great feeling about their professionalism.”
“I knew that the boys were musically talented, but still, I approached the first rehearsal with a question mark, wondering how I would be able to cast them. And I must say, I was absolutely thrilled. Originally, the boys' choir was written into the script only at the end. However, after that first rehearsal, I decided that I wanted to utilize their talent throughout the entire piece. So, they were given the role of angelic voices, and also right at the beginning, when the witch lures the poor children with gingerbread, and they are tempted to be lured in so she can bake and eat them, the boys will beautifully embody this role. The atmosphere during rehearsals is excellent; I have a great feeling about their professionalism.”
We are currently focusing on musical rehearsals, and our singers are trying on new costumes. We are very much looking forward to the performance of the opera production of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. It is a wonderful adaptation of the traditional fairy tale. The large orchestra plays small children's songs, the brilliant instrumentation envelops catchy melodies, and yet the clarity of folk song and the colorful fairy-tale atmosphere are preserved. Hansel and Gretel originally emerged as a work for a narrow family circle and eventually became a joy for the whole world.
"It is an honor for us that the Slovak National Theatre Opera has invited us to participate in this latest project. I believe that we will convince young visitors that they definitely belong in the opera audience. I am convinced that systematic education of children in the field of art and culture is the best investment in the development of our society. The singers from our choir are already very much looking forward to performing for both young and adult audiences," says the conductor of the Bratislava Boys' Choir, Magdaléna Rovňáková.
The boys will help bring to life the traditional story of Hansel and Gretel, who anger their mother, and she sends them into the woods. However, their father is worried because the witch lives in the woods. The children arrive at her gingerbread house, the witch captures them, intending to bake and eat them. In the end, however, thanks to clever Gretel, the witch herself ends up in the oven. The children transformed back from gingerbread come to life again, and the parents reunite with Hansel and Gretel, who happily return home.
The opera is suitable for children aged 5 and above.
"It is an honor for us that the Slovak National Theatre Opera has invited us to participate in this latest project. I believe that we will convince young visitors that they definitely belong in the opera audience. I am convinced that systematic education of children in the field of art and culture is the best investment in the development of our society. The singers from our choir are already very much looking forward to performing for both young and adult audiences," says the conductor of the Bratislava Boys' Choir, Magdaléna Rovňáková.
The boys will help bring to life the traditional story of Hansel and Gretel, who anger their mother, and she sends them into the woods. However, their father is worried because the witch lives in the woods. The children arrive at her gingerbread house, the witch captures them, intending to bake and eat them. In the end, however, thanks to clever Gretel, the witch herself ends up in the oven. The children transformed back from gingerbread come to life again, and the parents reunite with Hansel and Gretel, who happily return home.
The opera is suitable for children aged 5 and above.
