Martin Summer
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Martin Summer und Athanasia Zöhrer
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Athanasia Zöhrer
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Luke Sinclair, George Humphreys, Georg Clementi und Chor
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Luke Sinclair, George Humphreys und Chor
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Daniele Macciantelli, Luke Sinclair und Chor
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Georg Clementi
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

George Humphreys und Chor
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Andreas Mattersberger und Chor
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Daniele Macciantelli, Andreas Mattersberger und Chor
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Georg Clementi
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Luke Sinclair und Georg Clementi
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Georg Clementi und Luke Sinclair
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Andreas Mattersberger
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Athanasia Zöhrer
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Georg Clementi und Athanasia Zöhrer
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Athanasia Zöhrer und Georg Clementi
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Nicole Lubinger
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Luke Sinclair und Athanasia Zöhrer
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Ensemble
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Georg Clementi und Andreas Mattersberger
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Andreas Mattersberger und Luke Sinclair
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Andreas Mattersberger
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Georg Clementi, Andreas Mattersberger und Luke Sinclair
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Andreas Mattersberger, Luke Sinclair und Georg Clementi
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Nicole Lubinger und Athanasia Zöhrer
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Nicole Lubinger
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Athanasia Zöhrer und Nicole Lubinger
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Annika Sandberg, Tetiana Dyiu, Athanasia Zöhrer, Electra Lochhead, Kay Heles
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Tetiana Dyiu, Annika Sandberg, Electra Lochhead, Athanasia Zöhrer, Kay Heles
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Athanasia Zöhrer und Nicole Lubinger
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Athanasia Zöhrer und Chor
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Athanasia Zöhrer und Nicole Lubinger
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Andreas Mattersberger, Nicole Lubinger, Yevheniy Kapitula und Chor
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Yevheniy Kapitula und Athanasia Zöhrer
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Luke Sinclair, Athanasia Zöhrer und Ensemble
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Luke Sinclair, Georg Clementi, Athanasia Zöhrer und Ensemble
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Der Freischütz

Carl Maria von Weber

In German with German and English surtitles

Romantic opera in three acts

Premiere: 2. November 2024 / Felsenreitschule

Synopsis

Everything seems to be going great for Max: He loves Agathe and she loves him – and her father, the head forester, has agreed to make his future son-in-law his successor! But whether the two may indeed be married will not be decided by love alone, but by a shooting contest; and Max, who is reputed far and wide as the best shot, has been having poor luck lately. For weeks, he has been missing his target and there will be only one chance in the shooting trial tomorrow before the sovereign prince. This makes things easy for his rival Caspar. He uses Max’s desperation and persuades him to cast “magic bullets”. When they meet in the Wolf’s Glen at midnight, Max is drawn into a dark world ruled by evil powers: Six of the magic bullets are guaranteed to hit their target, but the seventh is guided by the Evil One. Whom will this bullet hit?

“Der Freischütz”, which saw its world premiere in 1821, is considered the first German opera in the Romanticist style. The archaic architecture of the Felsenreitschule offers a spectacular backdrop for the music and the stage. The work is a discovery worth making for both opera novices and seasoned opera lovers.

The plot largely follows the eponymous tale by August Apel. Carl Maria von Weber’s (1734–1812) opera has been a success in repertoires since the 19th century. The dark woods as the realm of spirits and the archaic power of the Wolf’s Glen provide a stark contrast to the regulations of village life. The work’s iconic tunes for both worlds have become symbols of Romanticism.

The opera is staged by director Johannes Reitmeier, who won the 2020 Austrian Music Theatre Award for best direction (“Liliom”). After three decades as an artistic director, he is now working as a free-lancer and recently staged a successful production in Taipei, Taiwan. Leslie Suganandarajah, musical director and a specialist for German-language works, conducts the Mozarteum Orchestra.

Duration: 3 h / one intermission

Reviews

„Chor und Extrachor des Landestheaters, famos einstudiert von Mario El Fakih, singen mit Energie und Präzision. Leslie Suganandarajah ist ein perfekter Theaterkapellmeister und zeichnet mit dem klangprächtigen Mozarteumorchester viele schöne Details, gekrönt von wundersam fein gezeichneten Soli der Holzbläser, vitalem Blech und dem balsamischen Solocello.“

Drehpunkt Kultur

„Kenntnisreich kitzelt der Landestheater-Musikdirektor die Reibungen und Irritationen aus der Partitur, das Mozarteumorchester realisiert seine Werksicht mit zugespitztem Klang.“

Salzburger Nachrichten

„Der Chor des Salzburger Landestheaters gefällt durch Homogenität und voller Sangesfreude, insbesondere beim berühmten Jägerchor. Leslie Suganandarajah dirigiert das Mozarteumorchester Salzburg mit Kraft und Energie, weiß aber auch viel Lyrismen und orchestralen Glanz hervorzulocken.“

Opera Online