Back to Germany.
Seven years after Beethoven completed his final version of Fidelio, Carl Maria von Weber’s opera Der Freischütz [The Marksman] was premiered in the Schauspielhaus in Berlin (1820). It was an instant success; its combination of folk-like melodies, a plot involving hunting, forests and the supernatural, and – taking its cue from The Magic Flute and Fidelio – the German language, made it the most German of German operas and almost guaranteed it a warm reception with its audience; it was also a very fine piece of music, and is considered to be the first major work in the grand tradition of German Romantic operas.
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826):
Der Freischütz (1821)
The libretto by Friedrich Kind was based on a story by Johann Apel and Friedrich Laun. It tells of Max, a marksman/sharpshooter who hopes to marry the head forester’s daughter, Agathe.
The plot’s a little convoluted, but here, as an outline, are some of the main arias and choruses.
At the opening, Max is being teased because he – mysteriously – lost a shooting competition to the peasant Killian:
Baffled by his failure and musing on his love for Agathe, he wonders if there was some external, baleful, influence that caused him to misfire.
a concert version of the same aria:
The scene changes and we meet Agathe herself, who’s waiting for Max to arrive with news of his success(?) in the above competition:
There follows the famous Wolf’s Glen scene.
Kaspar, the villain of the piece, rejected as a suitor by Agathe, has sold his soul to the devil in the form of the Dark Huntsman, Samiel, in return he received seven magic bullets that always struck their targets. He has – in view of a forthcoming marksmanship trial to secure Agathe’s hand, and with his confidence recently dented – convinced Max to do the same:
Agathe at prayer:
Ännchen, her cousin, tries to lift Agathe’s mood of gloomy premonition with a comic ghost story:
The Hunters Chorus:
In the end, after trials and tribulations, good triumphs and evil gets its comeuppance. And, after a year’s probation for Max, the couple may marry:
You can watch the whole opera by clicking on
Der Freischütz
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