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
Rosalind Plowright of "Hansel and Gretel". Other recordings include "Maria Stuarda", "Otello", "Aida" and "Hänsel und Gretel", all for the Opera in English series for Chandos Records, "Elijah" also for Chandos, "La vestale" for Orfeo, "Les contes d'Hoffmann" for EMI, and "Il trovatore", "La forza del destino" and Mahler's "2nd Symphony" for Deutsche Grammophon. "La Belle Dame sans Merci" for Romeo Records – Release date 6 May 2014. Suor Angelica "Suor Angelica", "Il Trittico" from La Scala, Milan. Leonora "Il Trovatore" from L'Arena di Verona. Gertrude "Hänsel und Gretel" from The Metropolitan Opera, La Contessa di Coigny / Madelon "Andrea Chenier" from