Der Freischȕtz

I expect I was one of the few in the audience to remember the last performance of Der Freischȕtz in Melbourne in 1969. I remember it being very traditional. This was anything but.

The sets and costumes were generally in shades of grey, with colour being used to signify the magical events, particularly in the Wolf Glen scene. Much of the set was abstract with jagged shapes, and sometime shadows of people would appear. It was eerie and quite magical. The lighting and computer generated images enhanced this.

The orchestra, under the firm control of David Kram, was a highlight. Naturally some voices were bigger than others, and the orchestra was always there, supporting but not overwhelming. The chorus did sterling work and were well directed on the small stage.

The critical role of Max requires a heldentenor and Jason Wasley did well. I have been critical of his acting in the past, but not this time and he played a passionate lover. As Agathe, Sally Wilson, recently returned from overseas, had a more dramatic voice than I expected in this role, but sang some beautiful pianissimo in her last act aria.

As her friend, Ännchen, Andrea Creighton displayed boundless personality and a lovely voice. Bass Steven Gallop’s big voice was ideally suited to the role of Casper and he was suitable evil.

A big thanks to the German opera-loving community in Melbourne, particularly Hans Henkell, for encouraging and supporting this less-known work of one of the German masters.

Graham Ford

Photographer: Jodie Hutchinson.