Carl Maria von WEBER (1786-1826) Leipzig Radio Chorus (Rundfunkchor Leipzig) · Horst Neumann chorus master
Der Freischütz
The Free-shooter
Opera in 3 Acts (1817-21). Libretto by Friedrich Kind after story by Apel and Laun.Max PETER SCHREIER tenor
Agathe GUNDULA JANOWITZ soprano
Kaspar THEO ADAM
bass Ännchen EDITH MATHIS soprano
Killian GÜNTHER LEIB baritone
Kuno SIEGFRIED VOGEL bass
Ottokar BERND WEIKL baritone
The Hermit FRANZ CRASS bass
Staatskapelle Dreseden · conducted by Carlos KleiberDEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON The Originals 457 736-2
2 discs [67:49 + 61:54] mid-priceby Darrell Ang
Inktroduction. Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz (crudely translated, "The Free-shooter" - hence the thing about guns) is a staple of every single German repertory-house, and has become likewise in major ones worldwide. Its instant and overwhelming appeal is easily understood: a successful fusion of the supernatural and Romantic, carved out in lush music that is at once rich and descriptive.
Beethoven, already deaf by the time of the opera's première, was immediately impressed by the score and urged his younger colleague (right) to write "many more operas". Historically-speaking, a Germany that was rediscovering national identity in the wake of the Napoleonic wars saw and heard an expression of something in the roots of their common experience: the battle between good and evil, set amidst a (E.T.A.) Hoffmann-ian fascination with ghosts and ghouls, and the irrepressible spirit of nineteenth-century Romanticism.
Today, in a unified Germany, Der Freischütz has evolved into an expression of national tradition, of all things Deutsch and Deutsche; and is one of the cornerstones of Germanic musical thought. As a work of the theatre, Der Freischütz sets itself apart from its contemporaries (think Spontini and Meyerbeer) in its relation to history and social evolution; and as a work of musical art, it far extended the vocal and orchestral palettes of its predecessors – and became the shaping force of opera for the following generation: Richard Wagner, who was to alter the course of operatic (and symphonic) history, took his cues from Weber; whose sole achievement in Der Freischütz was to create a masterpiece of enduring and renewable vitality out of the simplest materials.
"Once Upon A Time..." The story is set in the Bohemian forests, shortly after the Thirty Years War. Village huntsman, Max, has just lost a shooting competition; and pays dearly for it as the villagers taunt him endlessly. Leading the jeering is Killian, the undisputed champion of the contest, a contemptuous peasant.
The Prince's head ranger, Kuno, arrives on the scene with some of his men to break up the ruckus. Kaspar, one of the party, suggests that Max's gun might have been bewitched to have failed so experienced a hunter; and advises the latter to seek the help of supernatural forces if he wishes to win the hand of his loved one, Agathe, at the following day's shooting-trial.
When the crowd disperses, Kaspar is left alone with Max and takes the opportunity to prove to the latter the overwhelming miracles the powers of darkness can do: with Kaspar's rifle, Max downs a barely visible bird from the sky with a Freikugel, a bullet christened by evil and which goes wherever the wielder chooses.
Max realises that this is where his only hope could lie, lest he loses the marriage-hand of his beloved; and agrees to be taken to the demonic "Wolf's Glen" with Kaspar to forge more Freikugeln. There, a satanic ritual takes place, and Kaspar – without Max's knowledge – proposes to the demon, Samiel, that the seventh forged bullet, which belongs to the Devil, shall be turned on Agathe. A terrible storm rises above the "Wolf's Glen".
At the trial, Max's initial shots are faultless; while Kaspar secretly contrives a devious plan to trick him into using the seventh bullet. Agathe receives a foreboding vision of herself as a white dove, gunned down by her own lover; but she does not die: instead, another bird – a black one – lies dead at her feet. Prince Ottokar then challenges Max to shoot at a white dove, but as he takes aim, his woman suddenly appears with a cry. Max misses the shot; however, Kaspar and Agathe fall onto the ground. The crowd goes delirious, thinking that Max has killed his own bride; alas, it is Kaspar who has received the fatal bullet, and dies cursing Heaven and Samiel. Max confesses his folly to the Prince, who decides to banish him; but is persuaded by a hermit to punish the lad by delaying his wedding a year. All ends in happiness, thus; all except for Kaspar, whose corpse is thrown into the "Wolf's Glen", where it duly belongs.
In a very carefully organised key-pattern, the composer has identified evil with one set of tonalities and good with another; rustic life, hunting life, and the carefree manners of the village-folk he has expressed in a set of keys apart from either of these. Striking across the entire fabric of tonality, he has invented a harmonic shudder of a diminished-seventh for the demon Samiel: a rootless chord that offers no clear reference to any established tonality. Goodness, represented by the hermit, becomes a totally unexpected key after the tonal conflicts within become irreconcilable; and that is identified by the central key of C major.
This highly intelligent structure gives the work a powerful articulacy and clarity that is hardly matched elsewhere. Concerning the characters, the hero and heroine (Max and Agathe) are set in a different melodic frame from the others: they breathe with an expressive elegance reminiscent of the french operatic styles of Méhul and Cherubini. In the sphere of orchestral writing, Weber treads on newer paths; calling for horns to express the hunting images, and the lowest registers of the strings and clarinets in an effective depiction of all things sinister.
Der Freischütz remains, in essence, the successor of the German Singspiel that formed the repertoire of most touring companies in the 18th century; and, rightfully considered, is an offshoot of that tradition that had recently been glorified by Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Die Zauberflöte, and Beethoven's Fidelio. Spoken dialogues are kept, more often than not to elucidate further certain aspects of the plot; and Weber employs both plain-song forms and lyric-arias for the characters, each expressed in a different mood.
The Recording.
I am utterly convinced that no opera fan need introduction to this classic set, recorded in the early 70's; and considered by many as the finest version available. It is not difficult to be persuaded: Carlos Kleiber (right), still one of today's greatest living conductors, is a perfectionist who does not perform or record anything he does not associate himself with. This recording is in the same vein as his famous Beethoven tapings, and totally satisfies my ears.
The cast which he had assembled was surely the finest at the time – Kleiber makes no mistakes in the suitability of a voice to any particular role. It is evident he knows Der Freischütz like the back of his hand, having trained in those same German repertory houses it was a staple of, and his vision of the music attests firmly to his utter belief in it – it doesn't get more "Germanic" than this.
String-playing is crisp and alert, fastidious and vibrant; and the woodwinds are thick and husky, full-toned and rich. The Dresden State Orchestra is reputed for its brass, and they surely, do not disappoint. The sinister trappings of the score are faithfully realised: the sense of foreboding heightened by the most characterful realisation of the music by both conductor and orchestra.
Peter Schreier (above left) is a robust and young-voiced Max who conveys convincingly his character's naïveté: listen to how he portrays the foolish and lovelorn marksman in the aria "Durch die Wälder, durch the Auen". The lovely Gundula Janowitz turns Agathe into a youthful, sweet-voiced beauty, indeed; and the angelic Edith Mathis as Ännchen sings a most unforgettable Romance in "Einst träumte meiner sel'gen Base".
Elsewhere, Theo Adam is a dark-hued, conniving Kaspar; and the Leipzig Radio Chorus is unmistakably well-prepared: listen to the first act and you'll know what I mean. The diction is as authentic as it can possibly be; given this stellar, all-German cast. A wonderful set, no doubt - a masterpiece of a masterpiece!
Der Fliegende Inkpot
Ring of DramaIn Singapore, EMI discs are available at or can be ordered from Sing Discs (Raffles City), Tower Records (Pacific Plaza and Suntec City), HMV (The Heeren) and Borders (Wheelock Place).
Blowing smoke from his keyboard, Darrell Ang prepares his next move at The Flying Inkpot.
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326: 27.10.98 ©Darrell Ang
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