Weber's Oberon
Nikolaus Habjan (stage director), Ivor Bolton (conductor) — With Julian Prégardien (Oberon), Alyona Abramova (Puck), Anna El-Khashem (Sea Girl)...
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Cast
Nikolaus Habjan — Stage director
Jakob Brossmann — Set designer
Denise Heschl — Costumes
Rainer Karlitschek — Dramaturgy
Julian Prégardien — Oberon
Alyona Abramova — Puck
Anna El-Khashem — Sea Girl
Annette Dasch — Rezia
Rachael Wilson — Fatima
Brenden Gunnell — Sir Huon of Bordeaux
Johannes Kammler — Sherasmin
Choir of the Bayerische Staatsoper
Sören Eckhoff — Chorus Master
Bayerisches Staatsorchester
Ivor Bolton — Conductor
Program notes
Oberon, a three-act romantic opera by Carl Maria von Weber, was first staged at London's Covent Garden in 1826—the final year of Weber's life—with an English-language libretto by James Robinson Planché that drew its inspiration in the medieval epic Huon of Bordeaux. Under the always colorful and lively direction of Ivor Bolton, the orchestra brings brio and vigor to this 2017 production at the Munich Opera. The maestro has a gift for breathing life back into neglected repertoire, and he does so with aplomb here, vividly evoking the title character's poetic lyre.
The figure of Oberon has inspired more than one genius: the fairy king in the work of Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night's Dream) is also Alberich, ruler of the Nibelungen race of dwarves in Wagner's Ring cycle. According to medieval legend, Oberon helps Huon of Bordeaux in his feats and exploits—for he wields magical powers that can rescue travelers who lose their way in the woods. In the heart of magical forests and maddening labyrinths, Oberon is the guardian of love, representing all the possibilities of the night...
