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Der Freischütz at Oper Leipzig

About the Event

Director Christian von Götz and Dieter Richter, his set designer, present a production that goes beyond the purely psychological interpretation of history, choosing to play with superstition and fear in a world where belief in God and the devil is of the utmost importance.

'And it all ended happily,' Weber wrote about his new opera Der Freischütz to his girlfriend Caroline Brandt in March 1817. But before everything can end happily ever after in this grisly story about fear of failure, social limitations and the individual's right to happiness, the abyss opens up, and for a moment it seems that evil will prevail.

Max, the young ranger, knows that his social status and romantic perspectives depend on his performance in the traditional target‐shooting skill test. But the only way he sees to pass the test involves a deal with the devil. Kaspar, disillusioned, has already submitted to the devil. And Agathe, promised to Max, must ask herself: 'Do I surrender to the hand of Fate?' Worried, she tries to fight against what she perceives as the inevitable of her destiny. Like all the characters in the opera, she believes that her God has a true enemy. Weber created a unique musical context in which the thoughts and actions of his characters take place in a religious‐demonic world, entangled with dark powers.

'Carl Maria von Weber shouted after the world premiere of 'Der Freischütz' in 1821 at the Market Theatre in Gendarmen. Freischütz not only portrays fear and longing like no other opera of his time, but also raises the curtain on German romantic opera. For Weber, Max's cry 'Mich umgarnen finstere Mächte' ('The Dark Powers Trap me') had a decisive meaning not only for the complex events of his opera, but also for the entire musical character of his composition.

Cast / Production

Agathe — Gal James
Ännchen — Magdalena Hinterdobler
Samiel — Verena Hierholzer
Max — Marco Jentzsch
Kaspar — Tuomas Pursio
Kuno — Jürgen Kurth
Kilian — Dan Karlström
Kilian — Patrick Vogel
Ottokar — Jonathan Michie
Ein Eremit — Sebastian Pilgrim

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