Once the best marksman in the world, Max is on a losing streak. A single shot will determine his betrothal to Agathe – a much too important matter to leave to chance. At midnight in the Wolf’s Glen, Max, aided by the evil Casper, casts seven magic bullets which never miss their target, thus sealing a pact with the devil. Following the work’s premiere in 1821, Carl Maria von Weber proclaimed: »I’ve hit the hit the bullseye«. Soon »Der Freischütz« became regarded as the romantic German opera par excellence. Weber’s music reproduces the beauty of the German forest as well as its nighttime eeriness to create an atmosphere of uncertainty, doubt and fear. In his production, director Axel Köhler not only describes the fate of a young man driven to extremes by a fear of failure, but also paints the image of a society which, having lost its bearings, seeks stability in ritual and hierarchy. 

Der Freischütz Carl Maria von Weber

Semperoper Dresden

Pedrillo, his lover Blonde and Konstanze, having been kidnapped by pirates and dragged into the seraglio by the Pasha, Bassa Selim, hope to be rescued. Konstanze’s fiancé Belmonte attempts to free them – but fails. Only the Pasha himself can grant them their freedom. Orientalism and Enlightenment meet colourful costumes and a fairytale backdrop in this production by the Dutch director and stage designer Michiel Dijkemas. In The Abduction from the Seraglio, which premiered in Vienna in 1782, Mozart gathered together numbers that are still some of the most famous in operatic literature such as Konstanze’s aria Martern aller Arten, Blonde’s Welche Wonne, welche Lust, Pedrillo’s Auf zum Kampfe or the exotic Chorus of the Janissaries.

Georg Fritzsch

Events

Past events

15 - 28 Feb, 2025

Der Freischütz Carl Maria von Weber · Semperoper Dresden

5 - 10 Sep, 2021

Die Entführung aus dem Serail / The Abduction from the Seraglio · Semperoper Dresden

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Die Entführung aus dem Serail by Mozart

Semperoper Dresden

About

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