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
Wilhelm Busch unknown artist without regular income. In his early Munich years Busch's attempts to write libretti, which are almost forgotten today, were unsuccessful. Up to 1863 he worked on two or three major works; the third was composed by Georg Kremplsetzer. Busch's "Liebestreu und Grausamkeit", a romantic opera in three acts, "Hansel und Gretel" and "Der Vetter auf Besuch", an opera buffa of sorts, were not particularly successful. There was a dispute between Busch and Kremplsetzer during the staging of "Der Vetter auf Besuch", leading to the removal of Busch's name from the production; the piece was renamed "Singspiel von Georg