Genius Weber: Der Freischütz in the Version of BrixenClassics

FRIDAY, 17 JUNE 2022
9:00 P.M.
HOFBURG BRIXEN

“Have you heard Weber’s Der Freischütz yet? You haven’t? You unlucky man! But have you at least heard the Lied der Brautjungfern (The Bridesmaids' Song) or the Jungfernkranz (Bridal Wreath) from his opera? No? You lucky man!” Heinrich Heine, ever the sweet talker and critic in equal measure, hit the nail on the head with this comment. Weber’s composition is magnificent, the prototype of Romantic opera, but it is also sprinkled with catchy passages, which – like The Four Seasons or Eine kleine Nachtmusik – are perhaps played that little bit too often.

The history of Der Freischütz dates back to 1817 when Carl Maria von Weber was made a royal Kapellmeister (director of music) for life. No longer in financial hardship, the German composer was able to buy a small house between Pillnitz and Dresden and began writing the opening scenes of Der Freischütz, which translates as The Freeshooter or The Marksman.

Weber’s librettist for Der Freischütz was dramatist Friedrich Kind. Kind turned out to be a good choice, but there was a catch that made his work more difficult than it should have been – he could barely read music. Kind based the plot on a story from the Gespensterbuch collection of ghost stories, which was extremely popular at the time. The story centres around a young huntsman called Max who has to win a shooting contest in order to marry his beloved Agathe. Max, fearful because his shooting accuracy hasn’t been the best of late, strikes a deal with the devilish Samiel, goaded on by fellow hunter Kaspar, who is out for revenge. Samiel supplies him with a magical “free bullet” cast at midnight that is certain to hit its target. As the story continues, Max almost ends up shooting his intended bride with the bullet, but – as if by magic – the tale eventually has a happy ending.

Weber was enraptured by the tale from the outset. “It’s splendid, ghastly and alluring,” he noted euphorically. With strokes of genius, Weber was able to convey the diabolical and ominous elements of the story in his music by combining the dark sounds created by the strings with the low tones of the horns and clarinets, the lamenting notes of the bassoon and the mysterious beats of the timpani.

At its premiere at the royal Schauspielhaus in Berlin on 18 June 1821, high-ranking officials were joined by the likes of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Heinrich Heine and the young Felix Mendelssohn. The audience was completely captivated by the performance and burst into rapturous applause as the curtain fell. They carried on singing and whistling the folk-like tunes out on the street and, before long, Freischütz’s catchy melodies had spread far and wide. Performances in Dresden, Hamburg and Vienna also quickly sold out. The opera has been translated into 16 languages and in the first two decades following its premiere was shown around 200 times in Berlin alone.

BrixenClassics is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz with a special festival edition, following a one-year delay due to Covid-19. Join us in the historic courtyard of Brixen’s Hofburg palace and let us transport you to the story’s spooky Wolf’s Glen deep in the forest and to the house of head forester Kuno.

• A-Tickets: € 125,00
• B-Tickets: € 95,00
• C-Tickets: € 65,00