DER FREISCHÜTZ

»Freischütz« is a reimagined thriller about violence, guilt, and their possible origins. The hunter Max must take a test shot according to an ancient German tradition. But just at that moment, luck abandons the usually excellent marksman. Desperate, he gives in to dark forces: at night, he descends into the infamous Wolf’s Gorge to cast »free bullets« (Freikugeln) – diabolical bullets with which he hits every target.

Weber’s Romantic opera, which premiered in 1821, explores the aftermath of the Thirty Years’ War. Two hundred years after Weber’s death, director Max Porstmann and his team reinterpret »Der Freischütz« and tell a story about the origins of violence and how it continues across generations. The magic bullet serves as a metaphor for inherited violence, with the hunter Max at its root: unlike in the original, he is Agathe’s great-great-great-great-grandfather. He represents the start of a family curse.

While the plot and spoken dialogue of the first German national opera have been reimagined, the famous melodies remain intact in arrangements by Clemens David Krauß. The 14-piece chamber orchestra is as much a part of the stage action as the singing roles of Max, Agathe, and Ännchen. Conductor Alexander Schmid promises a »Freischütz« that »could not be more contemporary or more classical, ensuring a powerful new take on the classic«.

A production of the Academy of Performing Arts Baden-Württemberg (ADK) and the Ludwigsburg Festival, in collaboration with the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts (HMDK), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hannover, and the Ludwigsburg University of Education.