Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) wrote his late romantic fairy-tale opera in the early 1890s. It was premiered on December 23, 1893 at the Court Theater in Weimar under the baton of Richard Strauss. Even today, "Hansel and Gretel" is preferably performed during Advent and Christmas at all major opera houses and enjoys great popularity not only among children.
Musically, the work is in the tradition of Richard Wagner, although folk-song motifs and songs are increasingly incorporated into the composition. Adelheid Wette, Humperdinck’s sister, wrote the libretto and had originally planned a fairy tale play as a domestic theater performance. An idea and an initial singspiel developed into a full-length opera, which was already an extraordinary success at its premiere. Already in the atmospheric overture, among others, the well-known "Abendsegen" and the "Hokuspokus" sound.
The plot is largely based on the Grimm fairy tale classic of the same name and, in addition to stagings that are faithful to the work, inspires directors to come up with a wide range of - sometimes exotic - ideas. Fortunately, however, there is always a happy ending for the maltreated children, as well as the deserved punishment for the evil crunchy witch and a consoling final message: "When adversity rises to the highest, the Lord God reaches out to us!"