Der fliegende Holländer

Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), WWV 63, is a German-language opera with both the libretto and music created by Richard Wagner. The story centers around the idea of finding forgiveness and happiness through love. Richard Wagner conducted the very first performance of this opera at the Königliches Hoftheater Dresden in 1843.

Wagner said that he got the idea for this opera after a rough sea trip he took from Riga to London in the summer of 1839. He based his story on a tale told by Heinrich Heine in Heine's funny book from 1833 called The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski (Aus den Memoiren des Herrn von Schnabelewopski).

In Der fliegende Holländer, Wagner began using special musical ideas called leitmotifs. These are tunes that represent different characters or ideas in the story. All these special tunes are played right at the start in the overture. Wagner wanted the opera to be performed without a break between scenes, which was different from how operas were usually done back then. Even today, some theaters still follow this idea, although many also perform it with breaks between the three acts.

The original handwritten music for the opera is kept safe at the Richard Wagner Foundation.

Composition history

In 1839, Richard Wagner was working as a conductor in Riga but had many debts. He planned to leave Riga and go to Paris to perform his opera Rienzi, but things did not go well. His passport was taken, and he and his wife had to cross the border illegally, which was dangerous. During the journey, his wife had a health problem.

Wagner arrived in Paris but could not find work or get his opera performed. He lived in poverty and wrote articles to earn money. He decided to write a one-act opera called The Flying Dutchman, inspired by a story he read. He finished the story in 1841 and the music later that year. The opera was finally performed in Dresden in 1843, conducted by Wagner himself. He changed the setting from Scotland to Norway just before the first performance.

Roles

Instrumentation

Der fliegende Holländer uses many different musical instruments to create its sounds. The main group of instruments includes flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones, a bass tuba, timpani, a harp, and strings like violins, violas, violoncellos, and double basses.

There are also special instruments used during performances, like extra piccolos, more horns, a tam tam, and a wind machine to help tell the story.

Synopsis

Place: On the coast of Norway

Act 1

On his journey home, a sea captain named Daland is forced by bad weather to stop near a town called Sandwike in southern Norway. He leaves his helmsman to watch the ship and goes to rest with his sailors. The helmsman falls asleep. Suddenly, a strange ghostly ship appears and gets stuck to Daland’s ship. A pale man with a thick black beard steps onto Daland’s ship. He is sad because he is cursed to sail the seas forever. An angel told him that every seven years he can try to find a wife who will stay true to him, and then he will be free from his curse.

Daland wakes up and meets the stranger. The stranger learns that Daland has a daughter named Senta and asks to marry her, offering a chest full of treasure. Daland, tempted by the gold, agrees to the marriage. The wind changes, and both ships sail toward Daland’s home.

Act 2

Some local girls are singing and spinning in Daland’s house. Senta, Daland’s daughter, looks at a beautiful picture of the legendary sea captain and wishes to save him. She tells her friends the story of the sea captain, how he was taken because of a promise he made. She promises to save him by staying true to him.

A huntsman named Erik, who used to love Senta, arrives and warns her about a dream he had of Daland returning with a strange man who would take her away. But Senta listens happily, and Erik leaves feeling sad.

Daland arrives with the stranger. Daland barely gets Senta’s attention, even when he introduces the stranger as her betrothed. In a duet at the end of the act, Senta promises to stay true to the stranger until death.

Act 3

Later that evening, the local girls bring food and drink to Daland’s men. They ask the crew of the strange ship to join them, but the crew refuses. The girls leave, and ghostly shapes are seen working on the strange ship, scaring Daland’s men away.

Senta arrives, followed by Erik, who scolds her for leaving him, as she had loved him before and promised to stay faithful. When the stranger hears this, he feels hopeless, thinking he will never be free. He calls his men, tells Senta about the curse, and declares that he is “Der fliegende Holländer.”

As the sea captain’s ship leaves, Senta jumps into the sea, saying she will stay true to him forever. This saves him. The ghostly ship disappears, and Senta and the sea captain are seen rising to the heavens.

Recordings

This section lists different recordings of the opera Der fliegende Holländer. These recordings allow people to enjoy the music and story of the opera even if they cannot see a live performance. The discography provides details about each recording, including conductors, orchestras, and singers who performed the pieces.