Parisian "Freischütz" version in Bern
Mario Venzago, chief conductor of the Bern Symphony Orchestra, has reconstructed a Parisian version of Weber's "Freischütz" created by Hector Berlioz. It will be performed in the Swiss capital on October 20.
The romantic opera was written in 1820/21 for the opera house in Dresden. As it was not permitted to speak on the stage of the French Grand Opéra, but only to sing, the dialog had to be replaced by recitatives.
The recitatives were written by Hector Berlioz. They have been retranslated into German for the Bern performance. They now seamlessly connect the individual scenes as "accompagnati".
The parts reworked by Mario Venzago are based on original thematic material by Hector Berlioz. In addition to a new version of the lost opening scene between Agathe and the Hermit, the ballet music added for the Paris performance is also performed in this Bern version.