MaltaMedia.com

The Malta Arts Festival 2009 is proud to present perhaps the most well-known fairytale in Europe – Hansel & Gretel by Die Märchenhafte Operncompagnie. The event will take place on the 6th and 7th July at the President’s Palace Courtyard, Valletta at 9:30pm.

Written by the German composer Engelbert Humperdinck, the fairy tale opera is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and most loved operas for children. In this year’s Märchenhafte Operncompagnie production, four singers, a pianist and a narrator sing, act and tell the story to invite young and old to experience this renowned fairytale.

Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) was born in Germany. In the 1890s, his sister, Adelheid Wette, had written a libretto based on the Grimm fairytale and asked her brother to set it to music as a Christmas entertainment for her children. At a later stage, both Engelbert and Adelheid decided to turn this modest home project into a full-scale opera. Hansel & Gretel premiered on December 23, 1893 at Weimar. It was an instant hit and remains an everlasting masterpiece.

The fairytale opera is directed by Gunda Aurich. The stage designer is Tina Zimmermann whereas the costume designer is Heike Jänichen. The cast includes Marie Giroux (Hansel), Norina Kutz (Gretel), Christiane Maria Mikoleit (the witch and mother), Thomas Schumann (the father) and Gunda Aurich (the narrator). The pianist Ronald Herold will be accompanying the performance.

The programme of this year’s Malta Arts Festival aims at highlighting our identity within a wider Mediterranean and European context as well as promoting diversity in order to ensure development of the arts scene.

All fifteen exciting events are being presented at very low ticket prices ranging between 10 and 15 Euros, in line with the MCCA’s mission to make the Arts accessible to as large an audience as possible. The festival runs between the 1st and 24th July.

The Festival is supported by HSBC, Valletta Local Council, Malta Post and Hotel Phoenicia, and functions within the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. Mario Frendo is the Artistic Director of the Malta Arts Festival.

Tickets are available from www.maltaticket.com and from any of the following outlets in Malta and Gozo: Exotique, Agenda, Vodafone, Bookends and Newskiosk. For more information visit www.maltaartsfestival.com