Skip to main content

Opera about a risky deal with the Devil


The story of Der Freischütz (‘The Freeshooter’) is steeped in Romanticism. In order to marry Agathe, the king’s beautiful daughter, the ambitious young archer Max enlists the help of the Devil.


Not only does he have to win the annual archery contest , he also has to take on a narrow-minded society that holds on to the existing order and traditions. Der Freischütz pits the old world against a new one. Which traditions and customs should be preserved? Which have to change, and what will this take?

With Der Freischütz, Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) wrote his most famous work. Besides romantic arias, beautiful songs and choruses, this work contains captivating atmospheric music. The loveliness and violence of nature are mixed with the stirrings of the human soul. Weber’s expression of dark forces in the Wolfsschlucht scene, in which the Devil is present, set the tone for a soundscape that would make even the greatest composers after him jealous.

Read less

Debut of Kirill Serebrennikov 

The successful Russian theatre, opera and film director Kirill Serebrennikov featured at the Holland Festival previously with Chronicle of Current Events (2019), and he is now making his debut with Dutch National Opera with Der Freischütz. The struggle for success is foregrounded in his approach to this production - both in the world of the hunters as in that of the artists. With German tenor Benjamin Bruns and South African soprano Johanni van Oostrum, we have an ideal cast for the romantic couple Max and Agathe. The captivating soprano Ying Fang (Susanna in the recent Le nozze di Figaro with DNO) is performing an audience favourite again with Ännchen.


The musical direction is in the hands of Austrian conductor Patrick Hahn. This production will be his debut in Amsterdam and will make special use of Hahns experience as a composer, pianist and arranger. Instead of using the opera’s original dialogues, stage director Kirill Serebrennikov has written a new play around Weber’s composition, in which also music from Tom Waits’ The Black Rider will be incorporated. Patrick Hahn’s versatility will play a vital role in realising this newly created concept.

  • Der Freischütz

    © Salim Bayri

credits

music Carl Maria von Weber libretto Friedrich Kind musical direction Patrick Hahn direction Kirill Serebrennikov set design Kirill Serebrennikov choreography Evgeny Kulagin costumes Kirill Serebrennikov, Tanya Dolmatovskaya light design Franck Evin music dramaturgy Daniil Orlov vocals Michael Wilmering, James Platt, Johanni van Oostrum, Ying Fang, Günther Groissböck, Benjamin Bruns orchestra Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra choir Chorus of Dutch National Opera chorus master Lionel Sow production Dutch National Opera

This performance is made possible by