The legendary director Ruth Berghaus created this staging of Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz as a gripping theatrical experience for the Zurich Opera in 1993. Its revival in 1999 was a roaring success. With sets by Hartmut Meyer and costumes by Marie-Louise Strandt, Berghaus’s staging avoids the local peasant colour conventionally associated with Weber’s opera. The chorus and orchestra of the Zurich Opera House are conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, universally celebrated for the structural transparency of his interpretations, his intellectual penetration and his emotional understanding of both music and opera plot. And last but not least an all-star cast made this production a highly memorable event: the dramatic soprano Inga Nielsen as Agathe, one of her best roles, the Swedish soprano Malin Hartelius as Ännchen, the sought-after Heldentenor Peter Seiffert, who gives a convincing passionate Max, and many others.

Cast:
- Kuno: Werner Gröschel
- Agathe: Inga Nielsen
- Ännchen: Malin Hartelius
- Kaspar: Matti Salminen
- Max: Peter Seiffert

Stage director: Ruth Berghaus

Live from the Zurich Opera House, 1999

Legendary Performances
From one of the world’s most extensive catalogues of audio-visual productions, Arthaus Musik again has chosen 10 exemplary recordings from the greatest opera houses. This third journey through the world of opera features classics
by Mozart, Gluck, Weber, Puccini and Rossini, as well as Janáček’s, Berg’s and Poulenc’s more recent operatic strokes of genius, performed by singers like Peter Schreier, Ileana Cotrubaș, Franz Grundheber, Edita Gruberová, Peter Seiffert, Inga Nielsen, Marilyn Horne or Malin Hartelius; and last but not least virtuously conducted by international stars like Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Fabio Biondi, Sir Charles Mackerras or Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Legendary Performances impressively demonstrate how diverse, imposing, and especially how alluring and delightful the world of opera is.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1
Picture Format: 16:9
Original Language: DE
Subtitles: IT, GB, DE, FR, ES, ZH
Running Time: 159 mins
DVD 5 & DVD 9 / NTSC
FSK: 0
Region Code: 0