大象传媒

Synopsis
Act 1聽
At a practice target shooting, the young hunter Max is ridiculed by the peasant Kilian, who by comparison, did a very good shot. The forester Kuno pulls Max and Kilian apart and reminds Max that he has to pull off his trial shot the next day. Otherwise he won鈥檛 inherit Kuno鈥檚 woodland nor will he marry Kuno鈥檚 daughter Agathe. Max, who passionately loves Agathe, is plagued by self-doubt: for some time now, he hasn鈥檛 had much luck when shooting. He feels seduced by darker powers. A fellow hunter Kaspar persuades Max to come drinking although Max doesn鈥檛 really feel like it. He also tells Max that he has the means to ensure that Max always hits his mark: magic bullets. To prove it, Kaspar invites Max to shoot at an eagle flying well beyond his rifle鈥檚 range. Max鈥檚 shot hits its mark even though he took little time to aim. So as not to lose Agathe, Max accepts Kaspar鈥檚 invitation to go to the terrible Wolf鈥檚 Glen to cast magic bullets. Kaspar tells Max that he mustn鈥檛 tell anyone and triumphs: because Agathe spurned him in the past, Max must now become the devil鈥檚 sacrifice.

Act 2聽
In the woods, 脛nnchen is doing her best to comfort Agathe who is troubled by dark forebodings. Before going to sleep, Max arrives. He looks troubled and says he must leave soon to return to the Wolf鈥檚 Glen to collect a deer that has been shot. Now that she knows that Max is going back to the Wolf鈥檚 Glen, Agathe and 脛nnchen fear the worst.聽
In the Wolf鈥檚 Glen, unseen spirits mutter sinister magical words, after which Kaspar invokes Samiel. He wants to save his own life which he has pledged to the Black Huntsman by offering Max up as the new sacrifice. Max will get six bullets that will hit their marks. However, Samiel will direct the seventh bullet at Agathe, as Kaspar wishes. Max finally arrives, but is not certain he wants to enter the glen upon seeing his mother鈥檚 spirit with a warning for him. An image of Agathe despairing because he missed his shot persuades him to go through with it. Kaspar begins casting the magic bullets in an open fire while uttering magic words. With each bullet, nature becomes increasingly agitated. By the time the seventh bullet is cast, a strong storm is raging and the earth is trembling. Samiel appears, lightning strikes and then everything goes quiet. Both hunters lie lifeless on the ground in Wolf鈥檚 Glen.

Act 3聽
Max has already taken spectacular shots and so has made a good impression on Prince Ottokar three times. He asks Kaspar to give him the remaining magic bullets, but Kaspar tauntingly uses all but the last. This means that Max has to make his trial shot with the seventh bullet which was promised to Samiel.聽
Agathe, still in her bridal gown, is praying. 脛nnchen is trying to cheer her up with a horror story in which the monster ultimately appears to be the dog Nero. Even the bridesmaids don鈥檛 appear able to chase away the dismal atmosphere. When 脛nnchen opens the box with the bridal crown, she finds a black funeral wreath. Using the roses that a hermit had given Agathe the day before, 脛nnchen quickly weaves a new crown.聽
The hunting party has arrived at a spot in the middle of the wood where they will shoot. Kaspar watches from a tree. Prince Ottokar indicates a white dove as the target for Max鈥檚 trial shot. As Max shoots, Agathe cries: 鈥淒on鈥檛 shoot, I am the dove!鈥� At that moment Kaspar falls out of the tree and Agathe faints. Max has hit Kaspar who dies cursing the heavens and Samiel. Max must admit to the Prince that he allowed himself to be tempted by Kaspar to use magic bullets. Prince Ottokar wants to banish him, although Agathe, Kuno and the other hunters implore him to be lenient. Ultimately, a hermit persuades the Prince that a single shot cannot decide the future of two people. As a condition for marrying Agathe and inheriting the woods, he imposes a probationary year on Max.