American Symphony Orchestra to Perform DER FREISCHÜTZ at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall to host a unique rendition of DER FREISCHÜTZ by the American Symphony Orchestra
The American Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and the Bard Festival Chorale perform a seldom-heard presentation of Hector Berlioz's 1841 version of Carl Maria von Weber's Romantic opera Der Freischütz at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, April 16, at 8 PM. Led by Music Director Leon Botstein, this final program of the season includes an informative pre-concert talk about the work, which is widely considered an early masterpiece of German opera.
The performance features sopranos Nicole Chevalier and Cadie Bryan, Grammy Award-winning tenor and the 2021 recipient of the Kennedy Center's Marian Anderson Award, Freddie Ballentine; and bass-baritone Alfred Walker, who starred this season as Porgy in the Met's Porgy and Bess.
Weber & Berlioz: Der Freischütz Reimagined
Thursday, April 16, 2026, at Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Pre-concert Talk at 7 PM
Concert at 8 PM
American Symphony Orchestra
Leon Botstein, Conductor
Nicole Chevalier, Agathe
Freddie Ballentine, Max
Alfred Walker, Gaspard
Cadie Bryan, Annette
Philip Cokorinos, Kouno
Joo Won Kang, Prince Ottokar
Adam Partridge, Kilian
Jason Zacher, Un ermite
Jonathan Guss, Samiel
Bard Festival Chorale
James Bagwell, Music Director of the Bard Festival Chorale
Carl Maria von Weber (arr. Hector Berlioz): Le Freyschütz
2026 commemorates 200 years following the death of Carl Maria von Weber, a decisive figure in the development of German opera in the Romantic era. The American Symphony Orchestra performs the composer's 1821 opera Der Freischütz with a twist: Hector Berlioz's 1841 version (Le Freyschütz) of Weber's seminal opera will be performed, sung in French, with Berlioz's original recitatives replacing the work's original spoken dialogue. Also included is his orchestration of Weber's famous Invitation to the Dance, which Berlioz inserted as an obligatory ballet sequence for the Paris Opera production, and which subsequently took on a life of its own as a standout concert piece. Richly orchestrated, with a compelling exploration of good versus evil, Der Freischütz remains a source of fascination to the modern listener, much as it did to the young Frenchman Berlioz when he first heard it at the opera's Parisian premiere at the Odéon in 1824.
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