The production was conducted by first-timer Kazushi Ono, directed by Laurent Pelly, also making his debut, and starred Jennifer Holloway singing her first Hansel and Adriana Kucerova who sung Gretel.

The set design, by Barbara de Limburg Stirum, was quite remarkable and opened with a shack that looked as if it was made from a giant cardboard box but was the home of poverty-stricken Hansel and Gretel.

From the off, the music, played by Glyndebourne's resident orchestra, The London Philarmonic, was mesmerising as was all the singing.

The children are caught by their mother, sung by Irmgard Vilsmaier, not doing their chores and she throws them out into the Ilsenstein forest to pick strawberries as punishment.

Their father, sung by Klaus Kuttler, is then heard singing from the distance and rolls onto the stage drunk.

It transpires he has had a profitable day and brought home a feast for his hungry family.

Asking where his children are so he can share the good news, he is horrified to learn his wife has sent them to the forest.

He becomes very scared as this is where evil witch (sung by Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke) dwells.

The first half was dark with many in the audience anticipating the arrival of the witch and curiosity to see how the famous gingerbread house was interpreted on stage.

After the interval, the pace of the production changed dramatically and the stage was transformed from gloomy, eerie woods into a riot of colour.

The gingerbread house turned out to be made from the treats aisle of a supermarket and was brilliantly done. It was quite hard to be scared of the witch too when she/he came out looking like a fat fairy in a bra and tutu but was very obviously a man.

The fast-paced second half eventually saw a happy ending and was injected with humour, the music changed tempo and became much more upbeat.

There is jubilation when the witch is tricked into the oven and other children she has caught and fattened up are freed.

Hansel und Gretel the opera ends on a high and the audience's rapturous reaction to it was a true reflection of a wonderful performance.

Liza Laws