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Details
Wyastone Concert Hall
Wyastone Leys
Monmouth
Monmouthshire
NP25 3SR
Wales
Programme
Thomas Kraines – Hansel and Gretel
Performers
Kenneth Woods – Conductor
Henry Goodman – Narrator
English Symphony Orchestra
Other concerts in this Series (+)
Programme Note
Music from Wyastone - Studio Concert Series
The Art of Storytelling - Hansel and Gretel
Performance will be released at 6.00pm GMT on Friday 9th April 2021 on the ESO Website.
Click here to access the performance - available for 72 hours or join ESO Digital to continue enjoying this concert and more!
"I wrote Hansel and Gretel to perform with the children’s musical troupe Auricolae in 2008, and orchestrated it a few years later, at the behest of Maestro Kenneth Woods. Perhaps in response to the gothic nature of the story, the piece is very self-consciously Germanic; the leitmotifs for Hansel and Gretel are both Wagnerian in character (although Hansel’s theme originated as an alteration of Schubert’s “Das Wandern”), and the witch/stepmother’s theme is a Schoenbergian tone row. The woodcutter’s theme, the first music one hears in the piece, is a thinly disguised motive from Strauss’ “Metamorphosen,” which Strauss himself had lifted from the funeral march in Beethoven’s “Eroica” symphony. In a particularly grandiose touch, all the tempo and character markings are in German as well (I don’t speak German); of course, this doesn’t need to concern the listener at all, but I thought of it as an in-joke between myself and the performers. My gratitude and awe also go to Henry Goodman, whose nuanced and thrilling interpretation of the story elevates the piece immeasurably." by Thomas Kraines
WHAT IS ESO DIGITAL?
By donating monthly to English Symphony Orchestra, you will get free access to ESO Digital. Click here for more details: https://www.eso.co.uk/digital/
IS THIS A LIVE PERFORMANCE?
No, this was recorded at Wyastone Concert Hall on 30th July 2020.
WAS IT PRODUCED SAFELY?
Yes, we continue to work with the Musicians' Union and other experts to have up-to-date risk assessment in line with the current government guidelines.
WILL THIS PERFORMANCE BE AVAILABLE AFTER BROADCAST?
Yes. ESO Digital contains 24/7 access to previously ‘limited-time’ content, as well as archival material.
