HCMC – Opera “Der Freischütz – Hunters Pride”

28 and 29 Jul 2018, 8 pm
HCMC Opera House
7 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

From Goethe Institut:

Following two successful opera productions, which Hermann staged at the Saigon Opera House in recent years, the newest performance “Der Freischütz – Hunters Pride” is presented to the public in July. The production is a cooperation between the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) and the Goethe-Institut.

The opera will be performed at the Saigon Opera House on 28th and 29th July at 8:00pm.

In the original version of the opera, the protagonist Max has to win a shooting competition if he wants to marry his beloved Agathe. Hermann’s production is oriented on more modern motifs: He lets the opera play in a Vietnamese city, the characters are surrounded by motorbikes and ATM machines, which complete the stage design. In addition, Max no longer has to take a test shoot with a group of German foresters, but needs to win a game of billiards against his friends. The sinister Kasper promises to enable him to win the game with the help of magic billiard balls in order to succeed and marry Agathe. Max gets involved without knowing that the seventh ball belongs to the devil.

In the performance the dialogues are spoken in Vietnamese, the music numbers are sung in German. This bilingualism allows a substantive understanding, no matter which of the two languages one speaks. Central themes of the play are the dealing with tradition, ritual and superstition. The localization in the Vietnamese culture with Vietnamese singers creates a new perspective on the well-known opera for the audience in Ho Chi Minh City.

David Herman has established himself in recent years as one of the leading directors of his generation in the field of opera and theater. He studied in Berlin and in the year of 2000 won the first prize in the international competition for directing and stage design in Graz. At his side the conductor Askan Geisler will rehearse and conduct the opera. He is a conductor and accompanist at the musical theatre Gelsenkirchen, where he has conducted a variety of opera performances. The costumes are designed by the famous Vietnamese designer Quynh Paris.

Admission fee:
900,000 VND – 750,000 VND – 650,000 VND – 550,000 VND – 350,000 VND – 150,000 VND (reduced admission fee only for students)

Booking:
028.3823.7295; Ms. Hương: 0989.874.517; Ms. Ngọc: 0903.604.539 (E)

Online: tinyurl.com/booking-hbso-ticket, www.facebook.com/hbsovn