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".
Louise Alder the Age of Enlightenment in 2017, Atalanta in a new production of Xerxes at Oper Frankfurt also in 2017, and will perform the title role in Theodora at the BBC Proms in 2018 and Romilda (Xerxes) at Oper Frankfurt in January 2019. In December 2018 she will sing Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) at Bayerische Staatsoper and in March 2019, the title role in La Calisto at Teatro Real, Madrid. Future debuts include Canadian Opera Company, English National Opera and the Royal Opera House. TV appearances have included a performance of Beethoven's Fidelio at the 2017 BBC Proms on BBC 4,