"Don't you know that eerily dark place, don't you know that the evil one lives there?": The parents hastily set off into the forest to save Hansel and Gretel from the crunchy witch Rosina Leckermaul. As feared, the children have gotten lost in the forest and stumbled upon the gingerbread house. They cannot resist the sweet temptation - and fall into the trap of the witch, who literally loves to eat children...

As in most of the Brothers Grimm stories, everything turns out for the best in Engelbert Humperdinck's fairytale setting. Until then, however, Humperdinck's romantic music guides the children deep into the dark, legendary forest: Here she conjures magical creatures, calls upon 14 angels to protect the siblings, and carries the witch through the air on her broomstick. Today, Humperdinck's classic, premiered in Weimar in 1893, is as much a part of the Christmas season as the Advent wreath—and…