Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Der Freischütz (1821)
Max – Mauro Peter (tenor)
Kaspar – Christof Fischesser (bass)
Agathe – Nikola Hillebrand (soprano)
Ännchen – Katharina Ruckgaber (soprano)
Bregenz Festival Chorus; Prague Philharmonic Choir; Wiener Symphoniker/Enrique Mazzola
Production directed and designed by Philipp Stölzl
rec. live 17 & 19 July 2024, Bregenz Festival Lake Stage, Austria
C Major DVD 768308 [128 + 25 min documentary]
Operas performed in Arena-like settings such as one can experience in Verona, Orange and at the popular Morbisch and Bregenz Festivals in Austria have some unique challenges when it comes to being staged. The sheer numbers of spectators and the size of the amphitheaters require complicated amplification and over-sized productions, which would look ridiculous if brought into the average opera house. This DVD documents a staging of Weber’s most popular opera as it was staged at the Bregenz Festival just this past summer. Stage director Philipp Stölzl had previously been responsible for a somewhat bizarre production of Rigoletto a few years ago, so I approached this DVD with some trepidation. I needn’t have worried, though. Stölzl has produced a fantastic gothic fantasy world vaguely reminiscent of a Tim Burton film, which takes front place as the most original and enjoyable production of Der Freischütz that I have yet viewed. Stölzl begins by writing a new version of the dialogue for the opera. He remains very faithful to the composer and librettist’s intentions, but he adds a modern twist to all the characters which flesh them out a great deal, and provide something that would appeal more to a twenty-first century audience. One example of this is to give the character of Ännchen a boost by making her more than just Agathe’s close friend, but rather a lesbian confidante who is clearly in love with Agathe. Agathe herself is troubled with being pregnant with Max’s unborn child so that her need to marry him is just that much more urgent than in the original story. The main change that Stölzl makes is to considerably expand the walk-on role of Samiel who manipulates the village inhabitants with devilish glee. He becomes both comic relief and a constant threat, in a manner similar to the Emcee in Kander & Ebb’s Cabaret. Stölzl has all of the village inhabitants existing in a sometimes dangerous-looking set which is a magnificent example of a gothic nightmarish fantasy. The famous Wolf’s-Glen scene is quite unforgettable and for once packs a visual thrill quite in keeping with Weber’s fantastic music. Stölzl even adds a few zombies into the mix to bring things really up to date for a younger crowd.
Vocally, things are on surprisingly sure footing. Chief among the highlights here is Nikola Hillebrand’s beautifully glowing lyric soprano as Agathe. She makes a vocally stunning contribution to the evening, which makes one long to hear much more from her. Her acting is natural and unforced and she looks good in her costumes. Equally engaging is Katharina Ruckgaber’s sympathetic portrayal of Ännchen. Her role is now much more central to the drama and she invests it with dramatic detail and a sense of a real character which allies with her lovely tone.
Stölzl has Mauro Peter portray Max as the village weakling who is the scapegoat of many, especially the toxic masculinity that Stölzl requires of Kilian. The director makes Kilian into a fairly repulsive figure and Maximilian Krummen does it all splendidly. In contrast Peters has a more difficult time making an impression among all the stage action, but he sings well, and the role seems to suit him at this point in his career. Franz Hawlata shows that his veteran bass is still in remarkably fine shape and he makes a most agreeable Kuno. Among all of the stage action, Helnder’s Ottokar and Wolf’s Hermit barely seem to register at all. In many ways, it is the expanded part for Moritz von Treuenfels’ Samiel that is the centrepiece of this show. He is alternately threatening, charming and playfully childlike. He alternates between these three attitudes in a most mercurial fashion. His domineering presence risks becoming overwhelming for the home viewer; however, the distance necessitated by an outdoor performance helps to keep that in check, and he livens up the action of the story considerably. Yet all of the focus on Samiel has a tendency to diminish somewhat the threatening presence of Kaspar, powerfully sung here by Christof Fischesser.
On the orchestral side of things, Enrique Mazzola handles the score with economy and even some sense of theatrical flair. The engineers have managed to capture a decent sense of the sound of the orchestra in an admittedly difficult location to record in. One interesting bit of tinkering with Weber’s score that has been sanctioned by Mazzola, is having a small ensemble (consisting of accordion, double bass, and harpsichord) act as an underscore to some dialogue scenes. It may not be authentic Weber, but it does add enormously to the moody atmosphere of the piece. In such a wide open recording venue, the voices are inevitably recorded very closely; this is a customary price to pay at an opera staged in an outdoor arena-like setting. Despite these limitations, this is certainly the most enjoyable video of Der Freischütz that I have yet encountered. This DVD’s sense of gleeful, gothic fun more than makes up for any changes to story and the occasional tinkering with Weber’s score.
Mike Parr
Note: This DVD includes a fascinating documentary about how this production came together in tandem with a complete rebuild of the Bregenz Festival’s Lakestage facilities. It is informative and is almost as much fun to watch as the opera itself.
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Other cast:
Samiel – Moritz von Treuenfels (speaker)
Ottokar – Liviu Holender (baritone)
Kuno – Franz Hawlata (bass)
Hermit – Andreas Wolf (bass)
Kilian – Maximilian Krummen (baritone)
1st Bridesmaid – Theresa Gauß
2nd Bridesmaid – Sarah Kling
