Opera "Free Shooter": content, video, interesting facts, history

K.M. Weber opera "Free Shooter"

For a long time, the two largest European nations - the Germans and the Austrians - did not have their own "face" in the opera. There were attempts to develop the traditional form of the musical performance - the Singspiel, but even with unprecedented state support and the name of Mozart on scores, the national genre could not overcome the domination of Italian and French opera. Everything changed after the birth of the "Free Arrow" Carl Maria von Weber. Romantic opera with unique music, based on the Germanic plot, showed the path taken by many German composers.

Summary Weber's OperaFree shooter"and many interesting facts about this work read on our page.

Summary of the opera "Free Shooter"

Bohemia, mid 17th century.

The daughter of the princely forester Agatha is going to marry the huntsman Max. However, in order for Kuno to give him a hand of his daughter and his position as an inheritance, Max needs to successfully pass the test on marksmanship. Shooting at the targets, Max loses to the local peasant Kilian and becomes a laughing stock on the eve of the most important tournament of his life.

Having drowned the sadness in wine, Max easily gives in to Caspar's persuasion, which reveals to him the secret of owning magic bullets - they fly wherever the shooter directs them, contrary to the laws of nature, even if the target seems completely inaccessible. Caspar appoints Max to meet at night in Wolf Gorge - there he will be able to get such bullets for the upcoming match. One conceals Caspar - he long ago sold his soul to the Black Hunter Samyel. The time has come for the termination of their contract and the soul of the huntsman will have to go to hell - unless he brings someone in return. This replacement should be Max.

Max visits Agatha - the girl is full of evil forebodings. She pleads with him not to go to Wolf Valley, but Max is determined to go there.

Meanwhile, in the valley, Caspar sees Samyel. He asks him for 7 magic bullets for Max. 6 of them he will let into his goals, and the seventh, at the behest of Samiel, will fly into the heart of Agatha - the girl once rejected Caspar. After that, the soul of the unfortunate Max will be forever given to the devil.

The deal is concluded, and Caspar begins to forge the magic bullets. Max tries to stop the ghosts of his mother and Agatha, a terrible storm begins around ... But it's done - Max gets seven bullets. Six of them he spent on training. At the contest he has the last bullet.

Agatha is preparing for the wedding, but instead of the wedding wreath finds a funeral. The holy hermit gave her a bouquet of white roses, of which Anhen makes a new wreath. A dream on the eve of the wedding also turned into a nightmare - the girl saw herself with a white dove, which Max shoots. To her dismay, at the time of the match, the prince points her fiance to the same bird and orders to shoot her. Agatha rushes to him with a shout: "Do not shoot! This dove is me!" But late, the seventh magic bullet has already flown to meet the victim. At the same time, two fall to the ground - Agatha and Caspar. The girl - in a swoon, and the huntsman - to death. Flowers donated by the hermit protected her death, and Samiel took away the one who should have gone with him.

Max confesses his deception to the prince, who first wants to exorcise the dishonest, but then surrenders the decision to the hermit. The elder gives the opportunity to conquer justice to mercy: it's time to put an end to the shooting competition, and to give Max a chance for repentance and the opportunity to ask for the hand of his beloved one year later.

A photo

Interesting Facts

• Weber always wrote an overture last of all to include the motifs of key scenes and characters.
• Samiel is a colloquial role. The character has its leitmotif, but he is the only one in the opera who does not sing.
• Weber masterfully used the tools, defining each of their own role. The sound of the horn is not only a symbol of hunting, but also of longing and hope. Agatha's prayer is followed cello soundswhile Max is characterized by the composer’s favorite instrument - clarinet. The melodic features of Anhen (presumably, allegorically, the musical portrait of the bride Weber, singer Caroline Brand) are performed on oboe (polonaise) and the violin (romance). Flute given the main role in the final speech of the Hermit, representing the victory of human wisdom and divine justice (reference to Mozart's "Magic Flute").

• The opera has a happy ending, while in the folk legend the story ended in the worst possible way: the bride died from a shot, her fiancé went insane.
• "Free Arrow" is performed 120 times per season in the productions of 19 theaters in the world and is Weber's most popular opera.
• After the premiere of "Free Arrow" Beethoven I was incredibly surprised by the power and beauty of this music and told Weber that writing operas was his purpose. Weber followed the advice of the famous compatriot, in the following years releasing two more works - "Evriant" for Vienna and "Oberon" for London. One and a half months after the premiere of the last, Weber died from tuberculosis, before reaching his 40th birthday.

The best numbers from the opera "Free Shooter"

"Was gleicht wohl auf Erden" - a chorus of hunters (listen)

"Kommt ein schlanker Bursch gegangen ..." - aria (Polonaise) Anchen (listen)

"Nein! Langer trag ..." - Max's aria (listen)

History of creation and productions

In the origins of the plot are folk German legends about the Magic Arrow. Acquainted with one of them, 23-year-old Carl Maria von Weber lit with the idea of ​​an opera on this theme that is fertile for the creator, in which there is everything - love, mysticism and native melodies. The idea was hatched for several years, while in Dresden, being the head of a musical theater, he did not meet the playwright Friedrich Kind. In 1817, Kinda released an eventful libretto from under the pen, and Weber was able to start creating music. Taking as a basis the traditional German genre of the singspiel, which by this time had already exhausted itself, he created the first in the 19th century a full-fledged rival of Italian and French opera.

The time of creation of the "Free Arrow" is consonant with the time of its action. In 1813, the “Battle of the Nations” took place near Leipzig, putting an end to the Napoleonic domination of Austria and Prussia. The events of the opera unfold immediately after the Thirty Years War. The post-war period symbolizes people’s hopes for a quiet, happy life. But this time is full of doubts and painful experiences about the losses and the search for their purpose in the new world.

All these motifs have found their place in the "Free Arrow": Caspar's betrayal, Max's reflection, the peaceful life of ordinary people on their land among native forests, in the depth of which, sometimes, the unknown lurks.

The opera was a real revelation since its premiere on June 18, 1821 in Berlin. In the first season of the "Free Arrow" put a lot of theaters in Germany and Austria-Hungary: Vienna, Leipzig, Prague, Karlsruhe; as well as the Danish Royal Opera. In 1824, four productions started at once in London and at the Paris Odeon Theater.

In 1841, Hector Berlioz himself took on the "Free Arrow". He was preparing the opera for the Grand Opera in French. The “new ballet” included in the third act should also contribute to “French dance”. Berlioz took the music for him, of course, from Weber, orchestrating his piano piece "Invitation to Dance". Objectively, this did not benefit the opera, and the inserted number looked alien and absurd. In 1823, the opera was performed in St. Petersburg. In 1901, the production was staged at the Mariinsky Theater with Ivan Ershov in the party of Max.

"Free Shooter" on video

• The film "The Bride of the Hunter", 2010. In the main parties - M. Koenig (Max), D. Bunce (Agatha), M. Wallet (Caspar).
• Production of the opera Zurich, 1999. In the main parts - P. Seiffert, I. Nielsen, M. Salminen.
• Staging of the festival in Ludwigsburg, 1988. In the main parts - W. Hellman, N. Johnson, T. Mor.
• Production of the Hamburg State Opera, 1968. In the main parts - E. Kozub, A. Saunders, G. Frick.

After musicologists got down to business, "Free shooter"has undergone many interpretations. Some thought that it was an opera about mysticism, others - about the power of nature, still others saw Weber the receiver of the opera of the French Revolution, the fourth - masters of the use of folk songs in the spirit Haydn and Beethoven. Regardless of these considerations, "The Free Arrow" remains the most romantic opera of the entire German-language repertoire.