Opera Explained | The Flying Dutchman by Wagner (Audio)

"An Introduction to...Wagner - The Flying Dutchman" written by Thomson Smillie, narrated by David Timson.

Wagner is the Everest of opera. Viewed from the foothills, his towering masterpieces, with their lofty themes and sometimes extraordinary length, can seem to test the endurance of all but the fanatic. But this image is only apt in part. His melodic gifts, the power and majesty of his orchestral writing, and his ability to relate excellent narratives, make him almost a figure of popular culture. Wagner’s first three operas were not particularly successful, but with The Flying Dutchman his career took off.

The Flying Dutchman is the perfect opera with which to approach the operatic mountain that is Richard Wagner. It is short, has a great story – the legend of the Dutch captain doomed to sail forever unless redeemed through love – and the striking score has many pre-echoes of Wagner’s later music dramas. It contains wonderful tunes in its arias, ensembles, and big choruses, and the orchestral writing – from the gale that blows out of the Overture to the final theme of ‘Redemption through Love’ – will… well… ‘blow you away’.

Performers: Alfred Muff, Ingrid Haubold, Peter Seiffert, Erich Knodt, Jörg Hering, Marga Schiml
ORF Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pinchas Steinberg.

Tracklist:
1. Introduction
2. A short history
3. Extracts from other operas
4. The Ring
5. Leitmotifs, Norse, and Germanic myths and Love
6. The Overture and the plot
7. Act I
8. Daland and the Dutchman
9. Act II: Inside Daland’s house
10. Erik and Senta
11. Senta and the Dutchman
12. Act III
13. The dénouement