Der Freischütz : Romantische Oper in drei Aufzügen
Carl Maria von Weber 1786–1826
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Themes & character
Founding German Romantic opera·The Wolf's Glen scene·Folk supernatural·Premiered 1821
About the piece
Premiered in Berlin in 1821, Der Freischutz is the work from which German Romantic opera descends. Its story of a marksman who bargains for magic bullets drew on German folk legend rather than classical mythology, and it struck audiences as unmistakably their own.
The Wolf's Glen scene, in which the bullets are cast at midnight amid gathering supernatural horror, was unlike anything previously staged. Its effect on Wagner, who repeatedly acknowledged the debt, was decisive.
The composer
Carl Maria von Weber
1786–1826
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic in the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Best known for his operas, he was a crucial figure in the development of German Romantische Oper.
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