Time 19:00
Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of Polish Radio in Warsaw, Modzelewskiego 59
BUY TICKET
Event held as part of the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death and the 200th anniversary of the Polish premiere of Der Freischütz.
A forest shrouded in mystery, the close bond between human life and nature, and, above all, folk beliefs that insist on seeing the intervention of supernatural forces in the everyday turns of fate. Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz (The Freeshooter) is regarded not only as a masterpiece of German opera, but also as the first Romantic opera – a work that inspired later composers and opened up entirely new paths in the development of the genre. The terror of the Wolf’s Glen, diabolical cunning, and the power of dark fate acquire an uncanny sense of reality, intensified by sophisticated harmony and the original, highly evocative use of the orchestra’s sonorities. Weber successfully combines the tradition of the German Singspiel with the innovative technique of recurring motifs. Samiel’s demonic motif and the chromaticism permeating the darker scenes stand in contrast to the gentle diatonicism symbolizing goodness and pure intentions.
Weber’s groundbreaking work, written to a libretto by Johann Friedrich Kind, received its world premiere in Berlin in 1821 and was greeted with extraordinary enthusiasm by the audience. It was soon adapted for stages in Vienna, Leipzig, and Prague, as well as London and Paris. Before long, in August 1826, Frejszyc also won the hearts of Warsaw audiences – the production, in Wojciech Bogusławski’s translation, was staged at the National Theatre by Karol Kurpiński. On the bicentenary of that event, the Artists of the Polish Royal Opera will bring this extraordinary musical world to life once again – in concert form.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska
CAST
MAX BENJAMIN BRUNS
AGATHE JOANNA ZAWARTKO
ÄNNCHEN KAMILA DUTKOWSKA
KASPAR PAWEŁ MICHALCZUK
KUNO BARTOSZ KIESZKOWSKI
OTTOKAR WITOLD ŻOŁĄDKIEWICZ
PUSTELNIK / EREMIT WOJTEK GIERLACH
KILIAN MATEUSZ KULCZYŃSKI
VIER BRAUTJUNGFERN …
THE CHORUS OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
THE CHAMBER CHOIR OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
THE ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
KAROL KNAPIŃSKI CHORUS MASTER
JAKUB SZAFRAŃSKI CHOIR MASTER
VOLKER PERPLIES MUSICAL COLLABORATION / LANGUAGE CONSULTANT
KAROL SZWECH ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
MARTA KLUCZYŃSKA CONDUCTOR
Duration: approx. 2h 20 mins (with an intermission)
