Bella Alten operatic career included six Metropolitan premiere performances – Adele in Die Fledermaus (1905), Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel (1905), Saffi in Der Zigeunerbaron (1906), Olga in Fedora (1906), Columbina in Le Donne Curiose (1912), and Lisetta in L'amore Medico (1914). In November 1905 when she sang Gretel in the premiere Metropolitan performance of Hänsel und Gretel, the composer Engelbert Humperdinck was in the audience. This opera received 11 performances that first season and was selected by Theodore Roosevelt's wife as a benefit for the Legal Aid Society. Alten sang Gretel in this opera every season she was with the Met
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