The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister, who approached him about writing music for a libretto that she had written for her children for Christmas based on "Hansel and Gretel." Humperdinck decided to elaborate on the idea and make a full-scale opera production.
Hansel und Gretel is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes.
The opera is part of the standard operatic repertoire. There are a number of recordings of it, and it is regularly performed.
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