All too often, says Jane Davidson, we underestimate the darkness in stories like Hansel and Gretel. That’s why she is directing two versions of composer Engelbert Humperdinck’s 1893 fairy tale opera – one for grown-up opera enthusiasts and one better suited for their children and grandchildren.

“Humperdinck is right up there with Wagner, that heavy, romantic German aesthetic,” Davidson – Head of the Faculty Research Centre at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music – tells Limelight. “And the story itself, when you go back to the original source, the Grimm Brothers, is incredibly dark. We thought it would be best to split the audience over two shows. They’re not completely different productions in terms of staging, but motivationally, they’re very, very different.”

The full-length opera is sung in German (with surtitles), Davidson adds, while the shorter version for children is in English.

Humperdinck started writing his opera in 1891. It premiered in 1893 as a Christmastime production conducted by Richard Strauss and has been associated with Christmas ever since.

The libretto was written by Humperdinck’s sister, Adelheid, an author and folklorist who was well aware that the story of Hansel and Gretel had its roots in the...