Hansel and Gretel (opera) Hansel and Gretel (opera) Hansel and Gretel (German: ) is an opera by nineteenth-century composer Engelbert Humperdinck, who described it as a "" (fairy-tale opera). The libretto was written by Humperdinck's sister, Adelheid Wette, based on the Grimm brothers' fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel". It is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes, one of the most famous being the "" ("Evening Benediction") from act 2. The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister, who approached him about writing music for songs that she had written for her children for Christmas based on "Hansel and Gretel".
The New Opera Theatre to found Opera Quotannis, in New York. The New Opera Theatre The New Opera Theatre was a New Orleans-based opera company founded in 1986, with conductor Louise LaBruyère as Music Director and stage director Brian Morgan serving as Artistic Director. It specialized in experimental productions of both ancient and contemporary opera. The ensemble's first production was in April 1987, the world-premiere of Morgan's post-minimalist opera, "s" ("a concerto for stage director"), with Phyllis Treigle as E, and LaBruyère conducting. This was followed later the same year by "Hänsel und Gretel", with identical-twins Libbye and Cyril Hellier in the title roles.