Humperdinck: “Hansel und Gretel”. Anne-Sofie von Otter,...

Humperdinck: “Hansel und Gretel”. Anne-Sofie von Otter, Barbara Bonney, Marjana Lipovsek, Hanna Schwarz, Andreas Schmidt, Barbara Hendricks, Eva Lind, singers; Munich Radio Orchestra, Jeffrey Tate conducting. EMI 7 54022 2 (2 compact discs). Otter and Bonney blend their silken, silvery voices beautifully. They do not indulge in coyness, but sing this delightful music straight. The result is completely convincing. Schmidt and Schwarz are youthful sounding parents, while Lipovsek, despite a hooty top, actually sings the Witch without resorting to high camp. Lind is an apt Dew Fairy, but the set is almost stolen by the enchanting, crystalline Sandman of Hendricks. Tate controls his “Parsifal”-size orchestra with sympathetic aplomb in one of his best recorded efforts to date.