Thu, Jan 23, 2025
A community of hunters, a love story and supernatural powers. Der Freischütz centres on a dangerous trial, where success not only determines Max and Agathe's marriage, but also blurs the line between what is human and what is magical. In this synopsis, we will guide you through the story of Carl Maria von Weber's opera.
Over a stiff glass of beer, the hunters prepare for a special event: the upcoming marksmanship contest at the domain of forester Kuno. The young hunter Max absolutely has to hit the target, because only then will he be allowed to marry Kuno’s daughter Agathe and take over his position as head forester. But Max has not hit a target for weeks and is very worried. He is also suffering greatly from the mockery of the hunting party. Only his friend Kaspar seems willing to help him.
Kaspar gives him his gun and asks him to fire a shot. He hits the target immediately. Kaspar explains that Max has made the shot with a magic ‘free bullet’, and he suggests they cast some more magic bullets together at midnight to use in the shooting trials. What the young hunter does not know: Kaspar hopes that Max will kill his bride Agathe with one of the magic bullets. An act of revenge, because Agathe once rejected Kaspar, who was courting her. However, Kaspar cannot control the path of the bullets alone; everything depends on the mysterious Samiel, who lives as a hermit in the forest and is said to have dark powers.
Meanwhile, Agathe and Ännchen prepare for the wedding. Portraits of their ancestors keep falling from the wall, an ominous harbinger of impending danger for Agathe. While she is alone for a moment, Agathe meets the hermit Samiel, who gives her a bunch of consecrated roses. When Max tells her that he wants to go to the Wolf's Glen at night, Agathe is frightened.
In the Wolf's Glen, Kaspar meets the hermit Samiel. It becomes clear that Kaspar is indebted to Samiel. Apparently, he will die the next day if he does not manage to offer Samiel a new victim. Kaspar asks Samiel to aim the last of the magic bullets to be cast at Agathe or Max. Samiel remains ambiguous in his answers, but nevertheless seems to accept Kaspar's proposal. When Max arrives at the Wolf’s Glen, they cast seven magic bullets.
Agathe is plagued by wild dreams. To distract her, Ännchen tells her a ghost tale. When she notices that this does not help, she says that the bridal wreath has arrived. Both are very upset when they notice that it is not a bridal wreath but a funeral wreath. Agathe asks Ännchen to destroy the funeral wreath and to weave a bridal wreath with the hermit's consecrated roses.
Kaspar has persuaded Max to shoot all of his share of the bullets before the official competition. Only one bullet is left in the barrel. The hunting party appears and Max is given his challenge for the marksmanship trial: he must hit a white dove. When Max shoots, Agathe falls to the ground. Did Max kill his own bride instead of the dove? But Agathe has only fainted from fright.
Instead of Agathe, it is Kaspar who has been fatally wounded. Max immediately confesses that he shot with a magic bullet. Kuno then refuses him his daughter's hand and the Elector banishes him from the country. Unexpectedly, the hermit Samiel appears and calls on the hunting party to show leniency: Max is given a one-year probationary period and will then be allowed to marry Agathe. He also advises them never to organise a shooting competition again. The party is satisfied with the verdict and praises the hermit as the representative of the heavenly power on earth.
Antwerp | Gent
Carl Maria von Weber
