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© Matthias Jung

Der fliegende Holländer

Quick Info

Richard Wagner

It was on a stormy sea crossing from Pillau in East Prussia to Norway in 1839 that Wagner experienced the right atmosphere for his seafarer legend ‘The Flying Dutchman’ which he wrote a short time afterwards in Paris. The then still unknown composer hoped that this opera would make him a success in that mecca of the arts. He created the story of a seafarer cursed by fate who can only be redeemed from his perpetual meanderings across the seas by the faithful love of a woman as a scenic ballad full of effects with grand emotions and thrilling effects.
This production premiered by that great man of the theatre Adolf Dresen in 2000 resembles a grand ballad while also communicating the human message “You, however, shall be saved” that is worth more to the Dutchman than his own salvation. An exciting piece for Wagner lovers and those who may yet become them!

Language
In deutscher Sprache mit Übertiteln
Duration
Dauer: ca. 2 ¼ Stunden, keine Pause
to the schedule

Cast

Georg Fritzsch
Adolf Dresen
Wolf Münzner
Patrick Francis Chestnut
Volker Böhm
Dorian Dreher
Jordan Shanahan
Hans-Peter König
Gabriela Scherer
Corby Welch
David Fischer
Karina Repova
Chor der Deutschen Oper am Rhein
Duisburger Philharmoniker

Contents

FIRST ACT

In a heavy storm, a ship is seeking shelter on the coast. It is a Norwegian ship; its captain’s name is Daland. He orders his crew to sleep for the night, and even the steersman, who is supposed to be on watch, falls asleep. Suddenly a second ship lands at the coast, ancient-looking, with ragged red sails. Daland has heard some uproar. He is alarmed and comes on deck. He sees the unknown captain, also a strange-looking character, who explains to Daland that he is a homeless Dutchman. He offers Daland great treasures in return for accommodation in Daland’s house. He asks the Norwegian whether he has a daughter and if he could meet her. After being shown the Dutchman’s treasures, Daland invites him to his house.


SECOND ACT

In Daland’s house, all the girls besides Senta, Daland’s daughter, are spinning for their dowry. Senta ,however, is standing in front of several pictures showing the „Flying Dutchman“, an outcast, a heretic. While standing in front of these pictures she sings the ballad about the Flying Dutchman’s fate: once he had tried to sail around a cape; he had cursed God and was therefore condemned to sail the seas for all eternity, unless he can find the true love of a pure woman. For the rich young Senta this appears a highly desirable fate. Senta’s suitor Erik enters with the news that Daland’s ship is arriving. Being a mere huntsman, he does not appear to be a suitable son-in-law for Daland and thus he tries to extort a promise of marriage from Senta herself. When she is evasive about this subject, he tells her about a dismal dream he had: he saw her vanishing over the sea with the Dutchman. Daland arrives with the stranger and leaves him and Senta alone in the room. They both recognise that they are secretly meant for each other. But suddenly the Dutchman realises that he does not want the girl to sacrifice herself for him.

THIRD ACT
The Norwegian ship and the ship of the Dutchman both lie in the harbour, but there is no sign of life on board the foreign ship. The girls offer drinks to the Dutch crew, but nobody answers to their calls. They invite the Dutch crew to celebrate the safe return of Daland’s ship with them, but the only answer from the Dutchman’s ship is a ghostly chorus. When Senta’s engagement with the stranger is about to be celebrated, the huntsman Erik, rejected and enraged, provokes a scandal. Even though Senta shows her deep feelings for him, the Dutchman abandons all hope of salvation. He goes on board his ship again and gives orders to leave. He obviously does not want to bring disaster on her. She is the one who could save him from his fate, but he cannot see her sacrificed. He does not want her sacrifice, he would rather sacrifice himself. Thus he discovers what he has never known before and why he had to roam the earth all those years: love instead of salvation.

Work info

Opera in three acts

Libretto by Richard Wagner

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