Storytime

Program Notes February, 21 2026

Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel – Overture and Witches’ Ride
Humperdinck’s first opera was also his greatest success. Beloved by children and adults alike, Hänsel und Gretel owes much of its enduring charm to its masterful orchestration and irresistibly beautiful melodies. Though Humperdinck was a pupil of Wagner, and the opera is steeped in Wagnerian techniques such as leitmotifs and richly layered orchestral writing, he transforms these grand tools into something light, intimate, and enchanting.

Richard Strauss hailed the work as “a masterpiece of the highest quality… original, new, and so authentically German,” and was so taken by it that he conducted the opera’s premiere himself. Across its three acts, Hänsel und Gretel traces a vivid journey: from the stark reality of poverty and hunger, through the shadowy unease of a dark and mystical forest, and finally into a world of pure fantasy, where witches, gingerbread houses, and wonder triumph over fear.

Overture
The overture weaves together many of the themes that will later unfold throughout the opera, offering a musical glimpse into the story ahead. It opens with the hymn “Evening Prayer,” gently intoned by the horns, one of the most luminous and tender chorales ever written for the instrument. A bright trumpet fanfare then ushers in a faster, serene passage that gradually gathers tension and unease. In the final moments, the music returns to the dreamy, magical calm of the opening hymn, as if drawing a curtain aside and inviting us into the fairy-tale world of Hänsel und Gretel.

Witches’ Ride
Critics often return to comparisons between Humperdinck and Wagner: the sound world is unmistakably Wagnerian, but refined, lighter on its feet and touched with elegance. Nowhere is this clearer than in The Witches’ Ride, frequently likened to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, only here the riders trade magic horses for broomsticks. This brief, high-energy dash perfectly captures the thrill of being swept headlong into the Brothers Grimm’s fairy-tale world.

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf
Prokofiev and his young family often visited the Moscow Children’s Theatre, where their shared delight in the performances did not go unnoticed. Natalia Satz, the theater’s visionary director, recognized an opportunity and encouraged Prokofiev to compose a work for orchestra and narration especially for children, one that could play an important role in music education. Prokofiev eagerly took on the project, and completed the entire work, music and text, in a remarkably swift four days. His genius is evident in the vivid way each character is brought to life, with orchestral colors perfectly capturing their personalities and essence. Natalia Satz’s instinct proved correct: Prokofiev created what would become the most famous and enduring work written for children.

Britten: Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Benjamin Britten, one of the most celebrated English composers of the 20th century, wrote music that sounded modern and fresh while remaining immediately appealing to audiences. Because of this rare gift, the British Ministry of Education invited him to create a piece that would introduce young listeners to the many voices of the orchestra. The result is The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, originally written for narrator and orchestra. The music is so cleverly and colorfully constructed, that it is often performed today as a purely orchestral showpiece.

Britten begins with a stately theme from Henry Purcell’s Abdelezar. From there, he playfully takes the theme apart, handing it to each section of the orchestra and then to individual instruments, who transform it through imaginative and often surprising variations. The piece builds toward a thrilling finale: a brilliantly orchestrated fugue in which the instruments enter one by one in dazzling succession. Just when it seems Britten has exhausted every possibility, Purcell’s theme returns in glorious fashion, this time proclaimed triumphantly by the full brass section, bringing the work to an unforgettable close.