14/12/2025
The overture to Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (the former) starts like a gentle lullaby, sweet and gentle…all humming strings and sighing woodwind. This is a fairy tale after all.
Then…
Surprise!!!
This is not just a fairy tale. It is a GRIMM fairytale!
Suddenly, little hints of mischief creep in. The music starts skipping like children who have had entirely too much sugar. You can hear Hansel and Gretel running about, ignoring chores, absolutely not listening to adults, and treating the forest like a playground rather than a highly suspect wilderness full of questionable real estate.
The brass show up like ominous parental disapproval: “Something bad may happen… but not yet.” The harmonies grow richer, thicker, and more dramatic, as if the orchestra is whispering, “This is still cute, but keep an eye on that oven.”
By the end, the overture has baked together innocence, danger, prayer, and pastry into one glorious symphonic loaf. It reassures you that the children will survive, the witch will not, and everything will somehow end in a cheerful chorus—because nothing says family opera like attempted cannibalism wrapped in a warm, Romantic hug.
In short:
It’s bedtime music that gently pats your head while quietly sharpening a knife in the kitchen.
All this, and a collection of absolute festive bangers at our Christmas concert on Tuesday 16th December, Old Glossop Church 7.30pm
www.ticketsource.co.uk/darkpeakmusicfoundation
