Known in English as 'The Freeshooter' or 'The Marksman,' Der Freischütz is a romantic opera by Carl maria von Weber in 3 acts. The world premiere took place 200 years ago at the Königliches Schauspielhaus in Berlin. The work is considered the first German romantic opera in history, although it still contains many spoken parts, and the orchestra and music are rooted in classicism. However, the subject matter itself deserves attention - the history is based on legends and folk tales characteristic of the nascent Romanticism. In the musical layer, the composer used leitmotifs assigned to specific characters of the opera, which was developed by Richard Wagner in later years. The story is one of romance, jealousy, ambition and the supernatural, involving courtly foresters, beautiful maidens, marksmanship competitions, souls being sold to the devil and magic bullets.