The Flying Dutchman
Státní opery Praha (Prague State Opera)
Prague
Czech Republic
Wed, 15th October 2008 - Sun, 30th November 2008
After his first three operas (Die Feen/The Fairies, Das Liebesverbot/The Ban on Love and Rienzi), in which Wagner came to terms with the influences of the main compositional movements of his time (German opera of Carl Maria von Weber, Italian opera similar to that of Donizetti and French grand opera of Giacomo Meyerbeer), he composed his first important opera – The Flying Dutchman. He wrote his own libretto after the legend by Heinrich Heine, setting the story in Norway in about 1650. The opera’s chief hero is a Dutchman condemned to roam the seas; the only thing that can save him is a maiden’s faithful love. He finds that love in Senta, daughter of the sailor Daland. She is attracted to the Dutchman even though she is engaged to the huntsman Erik. When the Dutchman wants to return to the sea, she desperately cries out: “faithful to the grave,” throwing herself from the cliff into the sea. The condition for the Dutchman’s redemption is thereby satisfied, his ship sinks and the souls of both lovers rise to the heavens.
The world premiere of the opera was on January 2, 1843 at the Royal Court Theatre of Saxony in Dresden under the composer’s direction. The first Prague performance was at the Estates Theatre on September 7, 1856 under the baton of František Škroup. The opera was not played at Bayreuth until 1901 with Ema Destinnová (Emmy Destinn) in the role of Senta and with the conductor Felix Mottl, who performed the opera as a “ballad without intermission” in accordance with Wagner’s wishes.
After his first three operas (Die Feen/The Fairies, Das Liebesverbot/The Ban on Love and Rienzi), in which Wagner came to terms with the influences of the main compositional movements of his time (German opera of Carl Maria von Weber, Italian opera similar to that of Donizetti and French grand opera of Giacomo Meyerbeer), he composed his first important opera – The Flying Dutchman. He wrote his own libretto after the legend by Heinrich Heine, setting the story in Norway in about 1650. The
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