If it weren’t for Hansel and Gretel, Opera Australia head of music Tahu Matheson wouldn’t be where he is today.
Engelbert Humperdinck – the 19th-century German composer who wrote the opera adaptation of the fairy tale – can claim some credit for Matheson’s success, as can his parents. Matheson’s father, a conductor, and mother, an opera singer, took five-year-old Tahu to see Hansel and Gretel, ensuring their son would follow in their footsteps.
