Essen Phil/Netopil - Carl Maria von Weber: Der Freisch�tz

Der Freisch�tz represents a milestone in the history of German opera. Written in 1821 against the backcloth of the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon, this so-called �national opera� expresses the Germans� desire for cultural identity. The librettist Johann Friedrich Kind places the action around the time of the Thirty Years� War (1618�48), a time when society was shaped by religious power struggles, war and outdated rituals, leading to a blurring of reality and the illusion of a perfect world. According to ancient custom, the huntsman Max is allowed to take his beloved Agathe as his wife and become a hereditary forester only if his shot in a shooting contest hits its mark. But Kaspar tries to lure Max into a pact with the devil that ensures seven free bullets for Max that will not miss their target in the Wolfschlucht � The recording took place on 8 December 2018 with the Essen Philharmonic under Tom� Netopil in the Aalto Theater Essen. The production will be revived in April 2020.