Carl Maria von Weber – Der Freischütz / Mit neuen Texten von Steffen Kopetzky / Gerhaher, Pregardien, Zeppenfeld, Stojkovic, Schnitzer / WDR Rundfunkchor Koln / Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 2x Audio CD 2001 / 05472 77536 2

UPC 054727753626

Der Freischütz (J. 277, Op. 77 The Marksman or The Freeshooter) is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 1811 collection Gespensterbuch. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin. It is considered the first German Romantic opera.

The opera's plot is mainly based on August Apel's tale "Der Freischütz" from the Gespensterbuch though the hermit, Kaspar and Ännchen are new to Kind's libretto. That Weber's tunes were just German folk music is a common misconception. Its unearthly portrayal of the supernatural in the famous Wolf's Glen scene has been described as "the most expressive rendering of the gruesome that is to be found in a musical score".