衛武營國家藝術文化中心 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

If it weren't for his premature death, Carl Maria von WEBER would have surely become a household name by now. Utterly unforgettable for pianists, WEBER was a virtuoso whose ethereal performances and captivating ornamentation were even praised by Claude DEBUSSY himself. WEBER's Invitation to the Dance, the first-ever concert waltz, depicts ballroom scenarios with its popular melodies included in Alexandre DUMAS fils' novel, The Lady of the Camellias. WEBER was no less famous for his operas and orchestras, with Der Freischütz alone enough to earn him eternal glory as its overture remains a concert favorite even to this day.

Der Freischütz is reminiscent of early Romantic era that merely superseded instead of opposing the Classical period with clear distinction, which was more refreshing and fuller of possibilities than the time-worn and worldly-wise late Romantic era. As a cornerstone in German Romantic operas, Der Freischütz, along with other works of its time, were perfectly encapsulated in this line written by García MÁRQUEZ in his One Hundred Years of Solitude, "the world was so recent that many things lacked names, and in order to indicate them it was necessary to point" To this day, we can still feel the novelty of this opera as WEBER's instrumentation is usually magnificent, carefree, and full of the flow, humor, and showpieces unique to the Classical period—standing in stark contrast to Der Freischütz, which combines a fairy tale with folklore with bold and astonishing dark aesthetics. In a horrifying scene where the devil starts casting magical bullets after sealing the deal, the gloomy atmosphere at the Wolf's Glen is created with chromatic scales and augmented/diminished intervals. Many of his innovative compositional techniques including themes and leitmotifs were to later inspire Richard WAGNER, which cemented Der Freischütz as a milestone in the history of music with quality sound and visuals as well as an iconic classic for all music lovers.

Many viewpoints and perspectives exist for classic works. Weiwuying's take on Der Freischütz produced by Tiroler Landestheater und Symphonieorchester Innsbruck explores how Romanticism "adds strangeness to beauty" with a focus on supernatural powers and mysteries, which diverts from conventional Germanic pastoral scenes. Is the human nature inherently good or evil? Would you give your soul in exchange for the devil's infinite powers? How should a delicate and sensitive soul deal with the norms and perfunctory motions of a conservative society? The director designs these questions in response to the realities of the 21st century and initiates discussions on the status quo in Taiwan. The vocal features of this production is further enhanced by replacing the spoken dialogues with French master composer Hector BERLIOZ's recitatives to further highlights.

We cordially invite you to enjoy our rendition of a tale with forests, magic, reality, fantasy, beautiful melodies, thrilling plotlines, and unique stage sets! 
(By CHIAO Yuan-pu)

  Pre-talk  

2023/9/8(Fri)19:00 Opera House 2F

2023/9/9(Sat)14:00 Opera House 2F

2023/9/10(Sun)14:00 Opera House 2F

  Article  

►Part I Why You Shouldnt Miss "Der Freischütz", Germany's First Romantic Opera (part I)

  Creative and Production Team  

Conductor｜CHIEN Wen-pin

Stage Director｜Johannes REITMEIER

Stage Designer｜Thomas DÖRFLER

Costume Designer｜Michael D. ZIMMERMANN

Ottoka｜Rios LI

Kuno｜TSENG Wen-i

Agathe｜Susanne LANGBEIN (9/8 & 9/10), Jeannie CHIANG (9/9)

Ännchen｜TSAI Yun-hsuan (9/8 & 9/10), LIN Ying-min (9/9)

Kaspar｜Martin Ng (9/8 & 9/10), CHAO Fang-hao (9/9)

Max｜Roman PAYER (9/8 & 9/10), Fernando WANG (9/9)

Ermit｜HUANG I-sheng

Kilian｜Rios LI

Samiel｜Yao CHANG

Orchestra｜Taipei Symphony Orchestra

Chorus｜Kaohsiung Chamber Choir

Authorized by Tiroler Landestheater und Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, Austria

Presenter｜National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

Co-presenter｜Taipei Symphony Orchestra

© The photographs were taken during the premiere at Tiroler Landestheater und Symphonieorchester Innsbruck.

  Special Thanks  

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