Expedition Freischütz

A music theatre project after Carl Maria von Weber with mountaineers, adventurers and other border crossers
Schauspielhaus Dresden/ Die Bürgerbühne KH3, 2014

Even today, the story of the ‘Freischütz’ fascinates by the transition of its protagonist from a convention-driven society to the dark and enticing world of the forest, which has accompanied us ever since Romanticism in the form of literary, musical and visual testimonies. Just as Max encounters the devil in the Wolfsschlucht gorge, so the Dresden border crossers have become exposed to their own abysses and dark experiences. Personal experiences meet traditions from folklore, superstitions, free bullets, hunting luck and shooting spells and of course music…. What the Bürgerbühne does here is more than simply to work with the ‘Freischütz’ material. Its ‘Expedition’ is more like a staged good programme booklet, which makes all possible facets of the story shimmer. Opera fans may see it differently, but that’s how you dig deeper into the aquifers than the most opulent opera production.”

Dresdener Neueste Nachrichten, 07.04.2014, Michael Bartsch

Premiere on 4.4.2014 Schauspielhaus Dresden/ Die Bürgerbühne KH3

Director: Matthias Rebstock,
Musical director: Michael Emanuel Bauer
Set design, Costumes: Sabine Hilscher
Projections: Sabine Beyerle and David Reuter