Carl Maria von WEBER (1786-1826)
The Freischütz Project
Highlights from Der Freischütz, opera in three acts, Op 77 [79:35]
German libretto by Johann Friedrich Kind based
on stories adapted from August Apel and Friedrich Laun.
Accentus/(Frank Markowitsch, chorus director)
Insula/Laurence Equilbey
rec. live, 21, 23 October 2019, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris
Bonus DVD of video highlights filmed at live performances.
ERATO 9029510954 [79:35]
‘The Freischütz Project’ was devised by conductor and music director Laurence Equilbey with the intention of providing a ‘fresh perspective’ on Weber’s renowned operatic masterwork. Headed by stage designers Clément Debailleul and Raphaël Navarro with dramaturgist Valentine Losseau, Compagnie (Cie) 14:20, which specialises in magie nouvelle and spectacle, provided the stage and magic design for this new and controversial production which in the year prior to the shutdown of concert halls and theatres, toured several European cities, including Luxembourg, Paris, London and Vienna, with both fully staged productions and one semi-staged exception.
This release consists of recorded highlights chosen from the live performances in both audio and video format on Erato. As a firm admirer of Der Freischütz, I have noticed a recent mini-revival of Weber’s music. These days it is uncommon to see albums of opera highlights and in view of the resurgence of interest in Weber, I did wonder why that approach was chosen for this album. As far as the DVD is concerned, I am rather glad that is only highlights.
Equilbey has expressed ‘astonishment’ that Der Freischütz is not more often performed on period instruments to provide an historically informed approach to performance, when it is such an ideal candidate for that approach. To accomplish her aim, she brought together the chamber choir Accentus and the Insula orchestra, both of which she herself had founded. There is already a studio recording of the opera on period instruments from Cologne, released in 2002 with Bruno Weil conducting the Cappella Coloniensis. A commentary by a narrator replaces the spoken dialogue and the release is on Deutsche HM (Sony). Weil’s account does not provide enough drama for my taste and the recording would not be one of my choices.
International success unprecedented in German Romantic opera soon followed the 1821 premiere of Der Freischütz (The Marksman or The Freeshooter). Friedrich Kind had based his libretto mainly on German folk tales and legends from Gespensterbuch a collection of German ghost stories reworked by August Apel and Friedrich Laun. Weber and Kind wrote the three-act opera using spoken dialogue in German and the work is sometimes referred to as a traditional Singspiel rather than an opera; Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782) and Die Zauberflöte (1791) are successful examples of the genre. With Germany being divided up into various kingdoms, states, dukedoms and free cities, its people were seeking a national identity. Weber’s Der Freischütz profited greatly from this swell of nationalist fervour prevalent in the country and remains a seminal work in German opera.
It is an opera I have real passion for, and in my experience a production at the service of the opera can make a real impact. I can attest to this as a result of reporting on Axel Köhler’s captivating staging, conducted by Christian Thielemann at the Semperoper, Dresden. Köhler’s production will live long in the memory; he advances its period setting closer to the present day, yet it is cogent and works beautifully. Certainly, the production did not feel as if a director was meddling unduly or corrupting a traditional mise en scène. Gratifyingly, the production I attended and was also delighted to review, has been released on DVD/Blue Ray.
Set in a Bohemian village surrounded by dense forest, around the middle of the seventeenth century in the aftershock of the Thirty Years War, this dark, shadowy, gothic tale follows Max, a young forester. To marry Agathe his beloved maiden Max must win the shooting contest against Kilian, as she is the prize. Max is unwittingly in league with the devil by accepting magic bullets which never miss the target. Kaspar summons Samiel, the Black Huntsman and the personification of evil, and forges the magic bullets deep in the forest. The opera deals with supernatural powers and the battle between good and evil, a fashionable subject at the time. Weber described the two essential components of Der Freischütz as ‘the life of the hunter and the rule of demonic powers.’
Evidently Der Freischütz is the first opera company Cie 14:20 has worked on, and it certainly shows. With a background in circus performance stage directors Debailleul and Navarro with Valentine Losseau have linked the dramaturgy Der Freischütz libretto to video imagery and magic techniques. The dark, bare stage is apparently intended to represent a sense of emptiness. Putting such nonsense aside, the real purpose of the dark stage is surely to create the ideal conditions for audiences to view the holograms, video imagery, illusions and other stage magic.
This audio recording was produced in late 2019 during live performances from the Paris staging at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The video component comprises of footage from both the Paris staging and also from the staging at L’Opéra de Rouen. Critical reaction to the production, specifically the video projections, circus performance arts such as juggling, conjuring and the magic of illusions, was generally negative; typical evaluations ere that they serve only to cloud the plot, distract the audience and rip the heart out of the score. Having seen other productions of Der Freischütz, I would describe the Cie 14:20 staging as lacking some of the essential elements required by the libretto; certainly it does not serve the libretto well at all. It could be viewed as an indulgence by Cie 14:20 purely to showcase the work of its design company. One can soon become irritated by the dark and gloomy stage, frustrated by the holograms persistently flying across, and annoyed by the rather silly magic tricks. For example, how long is one’s attention held by a light bulb swinging across the front centre of the stage on the end of an extra-long flex, and what does it all mean?
Concluding Act Two is the famous ‘Wolf’s Glen’ scene deep in the forest where the forester Kaspar calls for Samiel the ‘Black Huntsman’. It is a chilling portrayal of murky supernatural powers Kaspar casts the seven magic bullets while Max looks on. If the spirit of the libretto is followed, in traditional opera productions the ‘Wolf’s Glen’ scene can be disturbing, otherworldly and a magnificent spectacle. Musically, in the ‘Wolf’s Glen’ Equilbey’s players and chorus combine to telling effect. Visually, the scene can be as exciting as the music, yet sadly we are let down by lack of purpose and misdirected imagination, and instead we have a damp squib. At times, one wonders if the staging and the singing are working to the same objective.
I can imagine those who have seen other stagings of Der Freischütz being terribly disappointed by this feeble attempt while anyone watching it for the first time must be utterly perplexed. The opera is about a shooting contest in a hunting community; huntsmen, guns and bullets are critical components at the core the libretto. Whilst some might find hunting abhorrent, it seems all visual references to this activity have been expunged. Again, what does it all mean? It is doubtful whether even a directorial note would help to avoid confusion. Watching this production, I remain convinced that a stage director must be exceptionally talented to provide a successful alternative to a tried and tested staging that does full justice to both Weber’s music score and Kind’s libretto. Of course, contemporary stagings of famous operas have their place and can be both an interesting and rewarding way of seeing the opera in a different light. My view, however, is that any new production which drastically changes the original must be coherent and still serve the best interests of the music and I am far from convinced we have that here.
The libretto of Der Freischütz contains extensive spoken dialogue which is often cut in performances and is increasingly being modified and given to a narrator(s). Although I greatly admire Der Freischütz I can empathise with the view that the lengthy dialogue can often prove tedious, especially for non-German speakers without access to surtitles or translations. While Equilbey was touring with The Freischütz Project’ the opera stagings included spoken dialogue of which a small amount remains on this highlights DVD.
In choosing the solo singers for ‘The Freischütz Project’, Equilbey explains that she was mindful of engaging those comfortable with a historically informed approach. Incidentally, for this production all the vocal soloists are making their role debuts. By contrast to the insensitive staging from Cie 14:20, the critical response to Weber’s music, with which I agree, is significantly more positive, as Equilbey draws splendid performances from the soloists, chorus and orchestra. Of the opera’s four lead characters, I must single out two of the soloists: Stanislas de Barbeyrac and Johanni van Oostrum, who excel, giving performances of considerable stature.
Tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac, singing the protagonist Max, features strongly for his performance, presence and voice. He has sung several big roles, namely Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Alfredo (La traviata) and Pelléas (Pelléas et Mélisande). I certainly remember reviewing Barbeyrac favourably as Piquillo in Offenbach’s La Périchole on Bru Zane. Excelling here, Barbeyrac launches himself into the role of the forester hero, exhibiting convincing characterisation. Standing out is Max’s act one aria Durch die Wälder, durch die Auen (Through the woods and meadows) where, having lost a shooting match, he is pained at the prospect of losing a happy future. Clearly relishing the role, Barbeyrac is in hearty and resolute form, keenly displaying his gift for creating drama.
Firmly established on the opera stage, Johanni van Oostrum sings in major houses some principal roles, including Elsa (Lohengrin), Káťa Kabanová, Elisabeth (Tannhäuser), Salome, Elsa (Lohengrin), Leonora (Fidelio) and her signature role Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier). Oostrum shines brightly as Agathe, the daughter of hereditary forester Kuno. A classy soprano blessed with considerable talent, she has an ease of expressing drama that inevitably sounds sincere. Especially commendable is Agathe’s celebrated Act Three cavatina Und ob die Wolke sie verhülle (Although when hidden by cloud) enhanced by an obligato cello part. Here Agathe is praying to heaven to protect her from the dream she had of being turned into a dove and shot by Max. Oostrum renders this cavatina beautifully with a purity of tone, allied with a light and sweet vibrato. One senses the soprano’s quiet confidence in her seamless legato phrases and sparkling high notes. From start to finish in her role, Oostrum exploits the music so beautifully that I believe her every word. On the video, while Oostrum is treating the audience to her gorgeous cavatina, someone in the gloom directly behind her is tactlessly twirling around a bunch of lights from torches, an idea that is both inappropriate and distracting. There are several similar occasions when the impact of Weber’s music is not being served as well as it should, which is inexcusable.
There are two substantial arias for the upbeat Ännchen and I especially enjoyed Chiara Skerath’s performance of the Act Three romance and aria Einst träumte meiner sel'gen Base (My late cousin once dreamed) accompanied by a part for solo viola. By relating her own experience, Ännchen is seeking to comfort cousin Agathe who has been frightened by a nightmare. One feels Skerath is enjoying her role immensely with her ebullience and sincerity shining out brightly. Skerath sings with a slightly sharp edge to her clear tone but her high notes are both effective and secure.
Opening Act Two is the much-loved duet for the two sopranos Schelm, halt fest! (Hold fast, you wretch!). Here, the lively Ännchen endeavours to cheer up the nervy Agatha with a song. In fine form Skerath and Oostrum provide style and uplifting charm to this engaging duet. Noticeably, Skerath’s voice type certainly does not have the light, over bright quality of singer often engaged for the role.
To close Act One the shady Kaspar, a first assistant forester, has given a striking aria Schweig! damit dich niemand warnt! (Be quiet, that one may warn you). Kasper, wanting revenge over his rival Max, sings ardently and angrily that nothing can save him. As Kasper, bass Vladimir Baykov is dark toned and suitably snarling with menace, swearing that he will deliver Max to the devil. There is some very slight strain in his lowest notes otherwise his bass is steady and can penetrate through the orchestral weight.
Not surprisingly, the highlights of this recording concentrate on the main four roles. I have decided it wouldn’t be fair to evaluate the secondary roles on such little material provided. The Hermit and the voice of Samiel ‘Black huntsman’ are taken by Christian Immler; however, these are predominantly speaking roles which have borne the brunt of cuts for this album of highlights. Neither would it be fair to evaluate the roles of Daniel Schmutzhard as Prince Ottokar or Anas Séguin as Kilian, who are hardly heard at all on the audio highlights with only a little more coverage on the video. Finally, there is Clément Dazin, who acts the part of Samiel ‘Black Huntsman’ to Immler’s voice.
Equilbey clearly knows Der Freischütz well; she was conducting it at least a decade ago and insists on maintaining a regular beat, providing a firm foundation for the performance. Undoubtedly well controlled, Equilbey’s players on their period instruments and the chorus combine to telling effect. In the ‘Wolf’s Glen’ scene the orchestra playing is first-class, robust and resolute, making a compelling impact which is the exact opposite to the visual effect on the video. It is satisfying to hear the natural horns emit an earthy sound full of gutsy character, while the arias accompanied by a solo viola and solo cello have a moderately warm, detailed sound. Noticeably, the camera provides much more footage of Equilbey conducting her players in the pit than I usually encounter on video. Numbering thirty strong here, the chorus Accentus sounds well prepared. Its contribution to the supernatural atmosphere in the ‘Wolf’s Glen’ scene is very enjoyable and the ‘Chorus of Bridesmaids’ is delightful, yet I feel the male voices in ‘Huntsmen’s Chorus’ might have sounded heartier.
There are no problems at all with the CD of music highlights recorded in live performance at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris. There is little audience noise, and no applause has been left in. Equilbey is the author of the booklet essay Freischütz Experience which is quite helpful and presented in French, German and English. Neither a synopsis nor a libretto is included with the CD which runs for 79:35 minutes. Somewhat longer is the DVD containing some additional footage which clocks in at 90:14. This is a French production of a German language opera that seems to be aimed at the French, German and English-speaking markets but there are inconsistencies: there are no subtitles on the DVD of the actual opera performance and only English subtitles for the additional video footage, a mini-doc spoken in French called ‘Replay - An immersive tour behind the scenes’ which is a cobbled-together and uninteresting mini-documentary named ‘Replay’ - ‘An immersive tour behind the scenes’.
There are several admired recordings of the complete Der Freischütz in the catalogue, several which I am familiar with. The competition is strong and, not surprisingly, several renowned conductors of the Austro/German tradition have been attracted to the opera, such as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Karl Böhm, Robert Hegar, Joseph Keilberth, Eugen Jochum, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Christian Thielemann. Of the complete opera on CD, probably the best-known is the penetrating 1973 recording made under studio conditions in the Lukaskirche, Dresden with Carlos Kleiber conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden. Kleiber has a cast of noted soloists Peter Schreier, Gundula Janowitz, Edith Mathis and Theo Adam. Now almost fifty years old, Kleiber’s is the recording that I would keep at any cost. Certainly, deserving of its ‘classic’ status, it has been remastered very recently in a new format 24 bit/192kHz Blu-ray audio in DTS-HD master audio 2.0 together with two CDs produced from the new remastering on Deutsche Grammophon.
Of the more recent recordings, I am impressed by the insightful 2018 SACD studio account on Pentatone of the complete opera with Marek Janowski conducting the Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt. A specialist in Austro/German romantic music, Janowski has chosen a fine group of soloists: Andreas Schager, Lise Davidsen, Sofia Fomina and Alan Held. He previously recorded the opera for RCA Red Seal/Sony in Berlin, but it is not an account I know. In addition, I greatly admire Rudolf Kempe’s inspiring 1952 Dresden account of Der Freischütz on Profil. Recorded for radio broadcast in the Hygiene Museum which was being used as an improvised studio, as it remained one of the few habitable buildings in the bomb-ruined city. The quality of the singing and atmosphere in this recording makes a significant impression and it is more than a mere historical document. I am comfortable with the seventy-year-old sound of the Kempe recording which has been remastered, yet it still shows its age and for that reason I will not recommend it. For those who wish to watch Der Freischütz on DVD or Blu-ray, I wholeheartedly endorse the video of stage director Axel Köhler’s 2015 captivating production from the Semperoper, Dresden. The four main soloists are Michael König, Sara Jakubiak, Christina Landshamer and Georg Zeppenfeld with Christian Thielemann conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden on C Major (link to review given above).
To sum up, the audio recording of Der Freischütz here is brilliantly played on period instruments and contains especially captivating singing from soloists Stanislas de Barbeyrac and Johanni van Oostrum. Sadly, however, the DVD of the staging is uninspiring and often maddening, having little competitive value.
Michael Cookson
CD [79:35] & DVD [100:59]
Cast list:
Stanislas de Barbeyrac - tenor (Max, main protagonist, second assistant forester),
Thorsten Grümbel - bass (Kuno, a hereditary forester),
Johanni van Oostrum - soprano (Agathe, his daughter),
Chiara Skerath - soprano (Ännchen, a young relative),
Vladimir Baykov - bass (Kaspar, first assistant forester),
Christian Immler - bass (A hermit / voice of samiel the ‘Black huntsman’),
Daniel Schmutzhard - baritone (Ottokar, prince of the region),
Anas Séguin - baritone (Kilian, a wealthy peasant),
Clément Dazin - actor (Samiel, the ‘Black huntsman’)
Bridesmaids
DVD [90:14 + 10:45]
Creative team:
Compagnie 14:20:
Clément Debailleul et Raphaël Navarro (stage direction & illusions)
Valentine Losseau (dramaturgy)
Clément Debailleul (artistic coordination, design & video)
Aragorn Boulanger (choreography)
Siegrid Petit-Imbert (costumes)
Elsa Revol (lighting)
Clément Dazin (dancer)
DVD of Der Freischütz (highlights) recorded from the live concerts on 21, 23 October 2019, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris & 14 November 2019, L’Opéra de Rouen, Normandie.
No subtitles on Der Freischütz (highlights)
Picture - output settings: 1080/60p
Sound Formats:
a) LPCM Stereo 48kHz/16bit, 1.5Mbps
b) DTS surround 5.1ch 48kHz, 754Kbps
Extra feature:
‘Replay’ - ‘An immersive tour behind the scenes’ [10.49]
In French with English subtitles
