Engelbert Humperdinck became famous almost “overnight” in 1893 with his opera Hansel and Gretel. The premiere of the fairy-tale opera, which is still widely performed today, was conducted by the 29-year-old Richard Strauss (who himself wrote 15 operas in total). Within a very short time, Hansel and Gretel was staged at all the world’s major opera houses.
Humperdinck’s later operas lagged behind this great success. Humperdinck, a great admirer of Wagner, wrote many more stage works, especially – as with Hansel and Gretel – fairy-tale operas.
In this list you will find all of Engelbert Humperdinck’s operas, including year and place of premiere.
| Title | Premiere |
|---|---|
| Harziperes | |
| Perla | |
| Claudine von Villa Bella | |
| Fedelma | |
| Schneewittchen | |
| Hänsel und Gretel | 1893, Weimar |
| Die sieben Geislein | 1895, Berlin |
| Königskinder | 1897, Munich (as melodrama); 1910, New York (as fairy tale opera) |
| Dornröschen | 1902, Frankfurt am Main |
| Die Heirat wider Willen | 1905, Berlin |
| Bübchens Weihnachtstraum | 1906, Berlin |
| Die Marketenderin | 1914, Cologne |
| Gaudeamus | 1919, Darmstadt |
Jonathan Stark – Conductor
Hello! I'm Jonathan Stark. As a conductor, it is important to me that visits to concerts and operas leave a lasting impression on the audience. Background knowledge helps to achieve this. That's why I blog here about key works of classical music, about composers, about opera and much more that happens in the exciting world of music.
