THE FLYING DUTCHMAN (R Wagner)

( Der fliegende Holländer / Richard Wagner / 1843 )

A cast of the undead and the threat of eternal damnation do little to hide what Wagner's early opera actually is: a romantic and surprisingly light-hearted affair. Daland, a sailor on the return journey of a sea voyage, meets a mysterious captain (the Flying Dutchman) who promises riches for anyone who can find him a wife. Daland's daughter Senta, pursued by an unpromising suitor, dreams of meeting the mysterious captain about whom she sings a ballad every night. As luck would have it the mysterious captain with Daland and the mysterious captain from Senta's ballad are one and the same, they meet, fall in love, and after some minor agonising, a sea shanty, and a bit of death, sail off together.

Wagner's poem is riddled with problems. The most cursory plot summary is all one needs to second-guess every plot turn HOLLANDER takes and Wagner's enjoyment of dramatic irony means that any narrative development is sign-posted an hour before it happens. So although the Dutchman sings about being damned for all eternity if he can not find a wife, we know he will, and HOLLANDER is not half as dramatic as it thinks it is. In addition, supernatural accoutrements aside, HOLLANDER is a typical operatic romance of fate (both Senta and the Dutchman have been waiting their whole lives for just each other) around the theme of love redeems all.

HOLLANDER's strengths obviously lie within Wagner's music. The overture is one of opera's finest, perfectly reminiscent of an impressive storm at sea. The Dutchman's leitmotif sounds like a mournful wake-up call and is instantly memorable. Senta's Ballad is another obvious highlight but the music reaches a real emotional depth when Senta and the Dutchman are finally alone together. The idea of love at first sight, complete with instant declarations of everlasting devotion, are a common operatic cliche but Wagner makes it work by not leaping straight into declarations but rather beginning with tentative disbelief before slowly making its way into the usual massive harmonies. As straight-faced as most of HOLLANDER is the Norwegian sailors' dare to the Dutchman's undead crew of "Steersman, leave your watch" is joyous, silly and a musical treat. Narrative sins aside, a fine opera.