DER FREISCHÜTZ • BREGENZ
★★★★★☆
Photo: Anja Köhler
REVIEW DER FREISCHÜTZ: OPERA MAGIC IN BREGENZ
The Bregenz Festival strikes again with the fairytale opera classic Der Freischütz in Philipp Stölzl’s impressive mega production on the shores of Lake Constance.
Bregenz entertains its international summer audience with a breathtaking outdoor performance produced at Hollywood blockbuster level with a cornucopia of state-of-the-art stage technology and special effects.
Photo: Anja Köhler
A whirling musical and visual rollercoaster ride, but you’ll probably need to know the work beforehand – or be a native German speaker with super hearing to follow 100% of what’s going on.
Carl Maria von Weber’s fairytale opera Der Freischütz is a national treasure from the early Romantic period of the 1920s and a hugely popular musical theatre work in Germany.
It tells the story of Max, a hunter who goes all out to win a shooting competition to win both the beautiful maiden Agathe and the prestigious position of Knight of the Forest.
Photo: Anja Köhler
Max gets into trouble using magic bullets through a pact with the devil. The bullets always hit their target, but the last bullet is under the devil’s control. In other words, there’s trouble in store for the final phase. The dilemma between Max’s love and his willingness to use dark forces to achieve his goals is the central conflict of the opera.
Photo: Anja Köhler
Director Philipp Stölzl, who was behind the genre-busting circus version of Rigoletto 2019-2021, has cut the story to fit a wild setting at the famous Seebühne, where a purpose-built, war-torn medieval village in a stunning, frozen winter landscape is the setting for the story that takes place on water, land and air.
Der Freischütz is a hybrid of theatre, spoken word opera and stage show. For the puritanical opera lover, this rather Disneyfied production is certainly too much silly form and too little content.
Photo: Anja Köhler
But, boy, is there a lot of action from the first to the last second of the intermission less performance.
Over two hours we see the devil ride the waters of the lake on both skeleton horse and fire-breathing dragon, Agathe frolics merrily with a chorus of sequined Hollywood nymphs, villagers glide around on snowy hills and splash in the lavish lagoons of the set, gunshots and explosions roar.
Beds fly and funeral mists glow, bonfires flame in circles on the surface of the water, King Ludwig and his entourage skate by in golden sledges – and finally the Lord himself arrives, dressed as a Russian icon, as the devil’s last laugh quivers in the night air.
The music is delivered live by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, powerful and moving. The vocal performances from a changing, high-quality cast contribute to a unique experience that is well worth the journey.
2024 The season featured 28 performances with a total of 198,655 spectators and an occupancy rate of no less than 100 per cent!
Bregenz mega productions are so resource-intensive that they usually run for two seasons at a time. That’s why Der Freischütz can also be experienced in 2025. Pre-sales start on 1 October at www.bregenzerfestspiele.com.
Have a good trip and five stars from GOT TO SEE THIS.
