Inspired by Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz, the film opera Hunter's Bride traces the romantic rivalry between two veterans of the Napoleonic Wars who each vie for the heart of the same woman.
Set in a mountainous and thickly wooded Bohemian landscape in the 17th century, Carl Maria von Weber's opera "Der Freischütz" (The Marksman) tells the tale of Max, a young gamekeeper. Max is in love with Agathe, daughter of the head ranger to Prince Ottokar. To win her hand, an ancient custom requires Max to prove his skill as a marksman on the morning of the wedding by shooting at any object the Prince may choose on the spur of the moment. Max is willing to do anything, absolutely anything to succeed - even at the cost of selling his soul to the demon Samiel.
Recorded live at the Zürich Opera House, 1999.
