Humperdinck
Hänsel und Gretel
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin/Marek Janowski
Pentatone PTC5186605 (2CD)

The Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Marek Janowski is the star of this recording. From the overture, whose stateliness and gleaming lines remind listeners of the debt Humperdinck owes Wagner, to the gentle glow Janowski coaxes from the strings as the tired children bed down in the moss, this Hänsel und Gretel is one of the best orchestral accounts on the market. Listen to the sinuous give and take between orchestra and Gretel as she sings about the dwarf in his red, red cloak – as easy and instinctive as breathing.