Carl Maria von Weber:
Overture to "Der Freischütz" Op. 77, J. 277 (with Score)
Composed: 1817 - 1821
Conductor: Carlos Kleiber
Orchestra: Staatskapelle Dresden

0:00 Adagio (C major)
3:41 Molto vivace (C minor)

Weber composed Der Freischütz between 1817 and 1821, and the opera received its premiere in Berlin on June 18, 1821. Weber's overture to his opera Der Freischütz is one of the most famous nineteenth century works in this form. The opera breaks with the eighteenth century style of overtures that contained only suggestions of the motives that would follow. This work is also larger in scope and scored in broader, more romantic strokes that the equally satisfying, yet clearly more classical Leonore overtures of Beethoven.

In the overture, Weber juxtaposes the major and minor modalities in the key of C, which open for him a number of other tonal areas to explore. To move within these harmonies, he uses the diminished seventh chord to effect subtle and efficient modulations. At the same time, he uses various motifs from the opera itself, especially music from Max's first-act number "Doch mich umgarnen finst're Mache" and the triumphant aria "Süss entzückt entgegen ihm" of Agathe from the second act.

By combining dark orchestral sonorities with suspended chords, Weber sets the tone of the opera and allows the overture to have a more important function than usually occurred in opera. He further tied the overture to the rest of the work by introducing themes and motifs from various numbers, rather than merely suggesting them, and used the overture to develop those ideas. Without giving away the denouement of the opera, Weber prepares the audience for what is to come. In fact, the overture to Der Freischütz is a model that served as the standard for generations of composers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Outside of its performance together with the opera, the overture to Der Freischütz is frequently encountered in the concert hall. Given the resolution of the menacing music of Max with themes associated with Agathe, the overture is a self-contained and comprehensible work when performed on its own. ([ Ссылка ])

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