The end of the year has arrived and it’s time to regain my soul by immersing myself in art. One of the first things I did after finishing all my assignments was… go to the opera! This time, I decided to see Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman because I was of course, enchanted by the legend behind it that appeared in Pirate of the Caribbean. Unfortunately, there were no pirates with squid faces who could play the organ with their tentacle beards, but Wagner’s opera was pretty epic in itself.

The story is about a sailor, the Dutchman (who’s a person, not a boat), who is doomed to sail the seas for eternity. However, every seven years, the Dutchman is allowed to set foot on land to seek a woman who would be willing to love him until death; if he does, his curse will be broken. Meanwhile, on land, a girl named Senta, daughter of a sea-captain, is infatuated with the Dutchman and his legend…

I had known before the performance, to expect something different from a Wagner opera. According to my fellow friend and blogUT writer, Ailsa, Wagner was one of the few composers who wrote not only the music but the libretto (the lyrics to the songs, stage directions and plotline) of his operas. He also known for using leitmotifs, or music that are associated with characters or places. As well, I have been told by several people that Wagner’s opera’s are pretty epic, and I will agree with that opinion. If anyone saw Carmen, I would have to warn you that none of that vivaciousness is present in The Flying Dutchman, but rather the entire story is laden with heavy drama and a very heavy feel to it in general.

As expected from the Canadian Opera Company’s set designers, which in this case is Allen Moyer, the set was wonderful and well-suited to the various scenes. As a warning though, the set is tilted to one side to represent the swaying of a boat and I did find myself tilting my head to one side as well. The lighting was really well done as well – sometimes it really did seem as if real sunlight was pouring out of the windows of the set. The section that was supposed to be the part below the deck of the Flying Dutchman’s ship was also brilliant.

Julie Makerov played a powerful Senta and was absolutely perfect for the role. Her presence and power was well-suited to the drama of the opera. Another voice I particularly enjoyed hearing through the entire night was that of Mats Almgren, who was Daland, Senta’s money-loving father. I’m almost tempted to go again just to hear that unique bell-like voice. Evgeny Nikitin also played an admirable brooding Dutchman. However, I would like to give biggest round of applause to the male and female chorus who delivered energetic and beautifully resounding performances. Bravo!

Anyways, if you would like more information on the production, please refer to the Canadian Opera Company’s page for this production. Performances run from April 24th to May 20th at the Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre. Opera tickets may be a bit expensive for a student’s budget, but rush tickets are available the day of the performance for $20. Hope you see it!

This entry was posted on Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at 11:43 am and is filed under Arts, Entertainment, Events, Music, Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.