Gramophone Awards Issue 2023
Blu-ray of the Month

Olga Kulchynska, Doris Soffel, Daniel Behle (tenor), Josef Wagner, Chorus of Dutch National Opera, Nieuw Amsterdams Kinderkoor, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Christof Loy, Marc Albrecht

Hänsel und Gretel brought Humperdinck worldwide fame but his tragic fairy story Königskinder (‘The King’s Children’) offers a stark contrast to it and has only begun to be revived in recent years. The doomed love of a goose girl and a prince – as they battle prejudice and are obstructed by magic – ends in their loving deaths, and with it a rebuke to the villagers who rejected them. This acclaimed production by the renowned German director Christof Loy features the award-winning singers – tenor Daniel Behle and Ukrainian soprano Olga Kulchynska.