Heartbeat Opera is set to showcase a radical interpretation of Weber’s “Der Freischütz” that will play on the American cultural unconscious.

The showcase, set for Dec. 4-15, 2019 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, is set to be company’s longest run ever, and will star Derrell Acon, Summer Hassan, Ian Koziara, Daniel Klein, Katherine Whyte, Casey Candebat, and Nicole Haslett. It will be directed by Louisa Proske and Chloe Treat; Proske is set to also adapt the work with new musical arrangements by Daniel Schlosberg.

At the core of this new production is a major change to the famed Wolf Canyon Scene in which Max enters the forbidden leir and is met with multiple apparitions. The company is set to push sonic language further than even Weber did in his original conception, incorporating an original electronic score with amplified instruments as well as unique instrumental techniques. Sound design will be provided by William Gardiner.

“Rarely performed in the U.S., yet shockingly contemporary—Weber’s ‘Der Freischütz,’ written at the onset of industrialization in Germany, asks us probing questions about our present moment: What is our deal with the devil? Just because we can do something, should we? And do we, like Max, ever forget to ask about the hidden costs for our ‘miraculous solutions?’” stated Heartbeat Co-Artistic Director Louisa Proske in a press release.