Hansel and Gretel (opera) After several revisions, the musical sketches and the songs were turned into a full-scale opera. Humperdinck composed "Hansel and Gretel" in Frankfurt in 1891 and 1892. The opera was first performed in Hoftheater in Weimar on 23 December 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss. It has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances and today it is still most often performed at Christmas time. "Hansel and Gretel" was first conducted in Weimar by Richard Strauss in 1893, followed by its Hamburg premiere on 25 September 1894, conducted by Gustav Mahler. Its first performance outside Germany was in Basel, Switzerland, on
Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy is among the productions documented through correspondence, contracts, financial records, promotional materials, reviews, and scripts. RKO heavily promoted the film in time for the 1954 Christmas season. There was $10 million worth of tie-ins, including candy, clothing, figurines and toys. The film has been released on VHS, CED videodisc, and DVD. The VHS and CED videodiscs contain the original title. The DVD was released on October 30, 2001 with the modified title of "Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy". An LP of the film's soundtrack was released in 1955 under the label "X" RCA, in 1959 under the label RCA