Harnoncourt conducts Weber: Der Freischütz

Deep in the German forest, dark forces stir. Weber’s masterpiece Der Freischütz opened a new and spine-tingling chapter in 19th-century opera, and with its hunting choruses and gothic atmosphere, this tale of a young huntsman ensnared by demonic forces remains one of the great operatic thrillers. It’s natural territory for a conductor with Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s sense of history (and of colour), and Ruth Berghaus’s powerful modernist re-imagining was one of the highlights of his long creative relationship with Opernhaus Zürich. Swedish soprano Inga Nielsen (Agathe) and the great German tenor Peter Seiffert (Max) head a world-beating cast in this performance from 1999.

Soloists: 

Cheyne Davidson (Baritone), Werner Gröschel (Bass), Inga Nielsen (Soprano), Malin Hartelius (Soprano), Matti Salminen (Bass), Peter Seiffert (Tenor), László Polgár (Bass), Robert Holl (Bass), Raphael Clamer (Voice), Volker Vogel (Baritone), Susanne Merle (Soprano), Anna Soranno (Soprano), Eleanor Paunović (Alto), Lisa Westermann (Contralto), Meinolf Kalkuhl (Tenor), Hartmut Kriszun (Bass)

Ensembles: 

Chor des Opernhauses Zürich, Orchester des Opernhauses Zürich

Conductor: 

Nikolaus Harnoncourt