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An uneven evening … Der Freishütz.
An uneven evening … Der Freishütz. Photograph: Julien Benhamou
An uneven evening … Der Freishütz. Photograph: Julien Benhamou

Der Freischütz review – semi-staging short on drama but delivers star singers

This article is more than 4 years old

Barbican, London
Outstanding performances from Stanislas de Barbeyrac and Johanni van Oostrum boosted a lack of momentum in Laurence Equilbey’s period instrument take on Weber’s gothic opera

It is by no means uncommon to encounter remarkable individual performances in an evening that is in itself uneven. Such was the case with this Barbican semi-staging of Weber’s gothic masterpiece, derived from a production by Compagnie 14:20, seen in Caen and Paris earlier this year.

It certainly had its fair share of flaws. Laurence Equilbey conducted her period instrument Insula Orchestra in an interpretation, which, despite moments of wayward intonation and ensemble, carefully emphasised the originality of Weber’s orchestration. But it was short on dramatic momentum and cumulative tension. What remained of Compagnie 14:20’s production, meanwhile, alternately fascinated and distracted. The cast were in costume, and the chorus, Equilbey’s excellent Accentus, wore formal black. Olivier Fredj’s direction was straightforward, though the demonic Samiel, played by dancer and juggler Clément Dazin, was omnipresent, hovering continuously round the singers, even when the music demanded stillness, and toying with the glass baubles representing Kaspar’s magic bullets.

Astonishing … French tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac in 2014. Photograph: Boris Horvat/AFP via Getty Images

There were, however, astonishing central performances from Stanislas de Barbeyrac as Max and Johanni van Oostrum as Agathe, truly outstanding singers with major careers ahead of them on this showing. De Barbeyrac’s vocal weight, easy top notes and sweetness of tone are well nigh ideal in this music, and he’s a fine actor, conveying Max’s emotional and moral agony with wonderful subtlety. Van Oostrum sounded glorious in Leise, Leise and floated exquisite pianissimos in Und ob Die Wolke: this is an exceptionally beautiful voice. The rest of the cast weren’t quite in their league, though Chiara Skerath made a spirited Ännchen and Christian Immler was sonorous and superbly majestic as the Hermit.

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