Biography
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), born in Eutin in Holstein, was the founding composer of German Romantic opera and a direct precursor of Richard Wagner, who openly credited him as his single most important influence. Weber spent his formative years as music director in Prague and Dresden, where he cultivated distinctively German operatic traditions against the dominant Italian and French schools. His three landmark operas—Der Freischütz (1821), Euryanthe (1823), and Oberon (1826)—introduced folk legend, nature mysticism, demonic forces, and complex orchestral symbolism that would define Romantic opera. Weber was also a virtuoso pianist and wrote brilliant music for his instrument, including Aufforderung zum Tanz (Invitation to the Dance). He travelled to London to supervise the premiere of Oberon at Covent Garden but died there in 1826 from tuberculosis. His body was returned to Dresden in 1844 in a ceremony led by Wagner.
On Stagelog
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