
Richard Trinder, Managing Editor
Opera North's The Flying Dutchman
![Robert Hayward as The Dutchman and Layla Claire as Senta. Photo credit: James Glossop]()
Robert Hayward as The Dutchman and Layla Claire as Senta. Photo credit: James Glossop
Wagner’s
The Flying Dutchman has set sail at Leeds Grand Theatre with the chorus of Opera North and the Orchestra of Opera North whipping up a storm from the opening bars to the still choppy but slightly calmer waters of the final movement.
The Flying Dutchman represented a new beginning for Wagner and his first significant hit. Some of his intense, reflective compositions for Dutchman, such as the opening aria "Die Frist ist um" (meaning "The time has come”), were unorthodox for the time and considered to be breaking new ground.
From curtain up, you can hear the orchestra's roar of the wind and waves, particularly in the timpani and lower strings. Character motifs are introduced right up front in the overture in a technique Wagner used throughout his career, and it came to define his "music dramas”, with the Ring Cycle being a perfect example.
The Flying Dutchman, directed by Annabel Arden with set, costume, and video design by Joanna Parker, tells the centuries-old tale of the Dutchman who is cursed to sail the high seas for all eternity. His only opportunity to redeem himself comes around once every seven years, when he is permitted to land and look for a faithful woman. Such a woman is Senta, who, despite living in a society where power, money, and bureaucracy rule, is in a position to stop the cycle. If that struggle of power against the odds sounds familiar, then it might account for the enduring appeal of this much-loved opera.
![Layla Claire as Senta and Edgaras Montvidas as Erik/ Steersman. Photo credit: James Glossop]()
Layla Claire as Senta and Edgaras Montvidas as Erik/ Steersman. Photo credit: James Glossop
Garry Walker, Opera North’s music director, leads a cast that includes Canadian soprano Layla Claire, who makes her company debut as Senta, and bass-baritone Robert Hayward as the eponymous sailor. Hayward has all the requisite gravitas, power, and stage presence to make him credible, and his pairing with the sparky Layla Claire is delightful. Unfortunately, on the opening night, Layla Claire was unwell. She acted the part with Welsh soprano Mari Wyn Williams singing the role, and the combination was extremely effective.
Clive Bayley sings the role of Daland with a wonderfully rich and powerful bass voice that perfectly suits the rich and powerful Home Secretary. Mezzo-soprano Molly Barker plays Mary (Daland’s secretary), and tenor Edgaras Montvidas has the job of combining the two roles of Erik (Daland’s right-hand man) and the ship’s Steersman. If I had a criticism to make, it would be that the scenes at sea and those on dry last were easy to mix up, and the conflation of the characters Erik and the Steersman didn’t help with that problem.
![Layla Claire as Senta with the ladies of the Chorus of Opera North. Photo credit: James Glossop]()
Layla Claire as Senta with the ladies of the Chorus of Opera North. Photo credit: James Glossop
The final act of
The Flying Dutchman is a huge opportunity for the chorus to impress, and they didn’t disappoint. With consummate choreography (many thanks to Movement Director Angelo Smimmo), and some powerful chorus lines, the pathos and passion of Wagner’s final scene provides a necessary response to the slow build of the first two acts.
In
A Communication to my Friends, 1851, Wagner confessed that the
The Flying Dutchman represented something personal for him: “a longing after rest from amid the storms of life”. He thought of it as his first ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’, that is, a synthesis of all art forms. Opera North’s production continues that synthesis in combining singing, acting, design, and the more modern art of video into a seamless, powerful homage to Wagner’s brilliant and groundbreaking concept.
The Flying Dutchman has opened at Leeds Grand Theatre and continues at Newcastle Theatre Royal, Lowry, Salford Quays, Theatre Royal, Nottingham and Hull New Theatre.
The Flying Dutchman is sung in German with English titles and lasts approximately 2 hours 30 minutes, including one interval.
More details can be found here.