Sunday, November 2, 2008

Edmonton Opera's Production of Wagner's The Flying Dutchman

Flying Dutchman
Last week the Edmonton Opera's season began with an ambitious production of Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from our small opera company, but I was impressed! Overall I think it was a great success, although there were some inevitable hiccups.

First of all, the music was gorgeous: my husband and I were both captivated from the moment the orchestra started playing. Once the the curtain went up, many of the cast members had a difficult time being heard above the orchestra, which I suppose is an occupational hazard of performing Wagner. Thankfully, the Dutchman (Jason Howard)and Senta(Susan Marie Pierson)had voices that were capable of standing up to the music. I personally felt that Senta stole the show. From the moment she began singing(Act 2), she really demonstrated what a more powerful voice could do with the music. The chorus numbers were another highlight, as the larger number of voices meant that the singers weren't going to be drowned out by the music.

The Flying Dutchman tells the story of a sea Captain who is condemned to wander the seas for all eternity. Once every seven years he is permitted to leave the ship in order to search for a woman who can be faithful to him until death. If he accomplishes this task, he will be freed from the curse. Unfortunately, although he has been trying for hundreds of years to find such a woman, all of them have proved unfaithful (quite a sad commentary on womankind!).

One thing that constantly impresses me about the Edmonton Opera is the great set designs that they consistently manage to pull off. This time they staged the entire production in a Shaker-style meeting hall on stilts that appeared to be tilted dramatically. I kept wondering how the cast members managed to maneuver around the stage without falling down! It really was quite extraordinary.

Ultimately, I was very happy to see an opera like this being staged in Edmonton. Doing Wagner is always difficult, but I think it was definitely worth it. Hopefully we'll get the chance to see more Wagner in Edmonton!

"The Flying Dutchman" by Albert Pinkham Ryder courtesy Wikimedia commons.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Margaret..I have missed you :D
another wonderful post..I love opera though I hardly get to see them!

Margaret said...

Glad you stopped by, M.Kate! Sorry my posts have not been as frequent lately! I keep hoping things will slow down a bit and I'll have more time for blogging!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely evening.

Son came back with a "borrow" from an elderly lady. It was a huge envelope full of 1937- 1959 ish ballet news clippings, programmes, reviews, etc. There were also official photographs too. Would scanning these in be more harmful than flash photography? I would like to somehow make an electronic copy of these precious memories (Rassine Fontayne etc.) Any advice appreciated.

Margaret said...

Hey Melanie!

I don't think it would hurt the pictures that much to scan them. I just finished scanning a whole bunch of family photos and they all look just fine.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

What a fascinating review. I wish I could have been there! And I adore this painting. I was unfamiliar with it.

Tess Kincaid said...

Nice review, Margaret! Opera singers do need a powerful voice to be heard above that orchestra...especially one playing Wagner.

Lovely artwork, too.

Margaret said...

Thanks for the lovely comments, Pamela and Willow!

I wasn't familiar with this painting before either. I really like it!

Fete et Fleur said...

I have longed to hear this opera performed. What a treat for you.

Nancy

Margaret said...

Yes, it was definitely special. It's great to hear from you, Nancy!

Anonymous said...

Margaret

Thanks for the great comments on Flying Dutchman and Falstaff. Both productions are difficult and expensive to bring to stage. (What was Wagner thinking when he imagined two ships on a stage???) Hope you enjoy the rest of the season. Mary from the Opera.

Margaret said...

Thank you, Mary. I have no doubt those were extremely costly productions. I've been quite impressed with the Edmonton Opera since I came here from Seattle. I never expected so much from Edmonton! I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest of the season!