About This Project

The original work of this opera is the famous Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Not only children but also adults can enjoy it. This opera’s composer, Engelbert Humperdinck, received a request from his sister, to compose an opera for their family. While he was still composing it, he gave his fiancée one part of this opera as a Christmas present. The first public performance of the complete opera was performed on the 23^rd, two days before Christmas in 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss, who was actually another great opera composer. This world premiere succeeded, “Hansel und Gretel” has become a standard opera now.
Humperdinck was one of Richard Wagner’s private pupils. In the post- Wagner era, the mainstream of the western opera world changed from German opera to Italian “verismo opera.” Probably, only Humperdinck succeeded as an opera composer from Wagner’s pupils. As mentioned above, “Hansel und Gretel” is a fairy tale for children, but all people can enjoy the music by Humperdinck who mastered Wagner’s composition technique.
Humperdinck thought that he would like to compose an opera which is also liked by children. So, it is easy for beginners to listen to the music of this opera in spite of Wagner’s style being used. The children’s chorus of a part of the last scene is especially beautiful. This children’s chorus is, in other words, “healing music.”