Der Freischütz

Der Freischütz (1821) is Carl Maria von Weber’s most famous work. It combines romantic arias and beautiful songs and choruses with gripping, evocative music. With his blood-curdling Wolf’s Glen scene, Weber created a musical work of art that has elicited the admiration of some of the greatest composers who lived after him. 

In this production, theatre, film and opera director Kirill Serebrennikov has changed the opera’s context by creating new dialogues to replace the spoken texts. He has also done away with the German forest and has instead opted for a rehearsal studio full of artists. And Max is no longer a huntsman afraid of missing his target, rather he is a neurotic tenor who feels threatened. Finally, conductor Patrick Hahn personifies dark forces, masterminding and manipulating everything very precisely and fastidiously.

Kirill Serebrennikov

After being forced to direct remotely for several years due to his house arrest in Russia, Serebrennikov will now, for the first time, be able to direct an opera in person again.  He is a truly multitalented director: not only does he direct opera and theatre – his recent works include Parsifal at the Vienna State Opera and Der schwarze Mönch at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg – he also directs films (Leto, Petrov's Flu and Tchaikovsky's Wife), which regularly feature among the selections for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

For Der Freischütz, Serebrennikov will be working with an adventurous cast of high calibre.  German tenor Benjamin Bruns and South African soprano Johanni van Oostrum are perfectly cast as sweethearts Max and Agathe. And captivating soprano Ying Fang will return to Amsterdam as Ännchen, while Austrian bass Günther Groissböck will take on the role of the depraved Kaspar, after having sung several Wagner roles at Dutch National Opera. With the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in the pit, this promises to be an exhilarating experience.