Classical music meets traditional storytelling in this multi-arts take on Hansel and Gretel, in which the classic fairytale is narrated against a backdrop of vintage illustrations, film footage and excerpts from pieces of classical music. This is the first in a series of videos combining famous pieces of classical music with fairytales and classic children’s stories. In this video the classical music journalist Hannah Nepilová narrates the fairytale of Hansel and Gretel by the Grimm Brothers accompanied by a selection of film footage and vintage illustrations from the story by 19th and early 20th century artists.
Meanwhile, excerpts of classical music by Camille Saint-Saëns, Hector Berlioz, Engelbert Humperdinck, Ludwig van Beethoven, Erik Satie, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Antonín Dvorák provide colour and characterisation, and bring out the drama in the narrative.
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Classical music journalist Hannah Nepilová originally founded Classical Tales in 2018 soon after having her first baby, Joshua, as a series of live performances for children combining classical music with narration. After having her second baby, Emily, in 2021, she reinvented the concept as a series of videos for viewers to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes.
To see more fairytales with classical music, visit ClassicalTales’s YouTube channel.
- Watch: Hansel and Gretel with classical music
- Watch: The Snow Queen with classical music
- Read: Five pieces of classical music inspired by fairytales