Hansel and Gretel resonates with both adults and children while becoming one of the most successful fairy-tale operas ever created. Engelbert Humperdinck's opera is flavored with the sophisticated musicality he learned from his idol, Richard Wagner, while maintaining a charm and a light touch that were entirely his own. The opera acknowledges the darker features present in the Brothers Grimm version of the familiar folk tale yet presents them within a frame of grace and humor.