CHANDOS

CHAN 3119 Book Cover.qxd 20/9/06 11:55 am Page 1CHANDOSO PERAINENGLISHWAGNER The Flying DutchmanCHAN 3119(2)

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 2Lebrecht Music & ArtsRichard Wagner (1813–1883)The Flying DutchmanRomantic opera in one actLibretto by the composer after Heine’s Aus den Memoiren des Herren von Schnabelewopski,English translation by Christopher CowellDaland, a Norwegian sailor............................................................................Eric Halfvarson bassSenta, his daughter .....................................................................................Nina Stemme sopranoErik, a huntsman................................................................................................Kim Begley tenorMary, Senta’s nurse.........................................................................Patricia Bardon mezzo-sopranoDaland’s Steersman ...........................................................................................Peter Wedd tenorThe Dutchman .............................................................................................John Tomlinson bassGeoffrey Mitchell ChoirLondon Philharmonic OrchestraGareth Hancock assistant conductorDavid ParryRichard Wagner in Paris, by E.F. Kütz, 18423

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 4COMPACT DISC ONE Time PageTimePage1234512Overture 11:34 [p. 76]Scene 1‘Hoyohey! Halloyo! Ho! Hey!’ 10:59 [p. 76]Sailors, Daland, Steersman‘The time has come’ 11:43 [p. 77]Dutchman, Dutchman’s Crew‘Hey! Holla! Steersman!’ 21:14 [p. 78]Daland, Steersman, Dutchman, SailorsScene 2‘Whirr and whirl as morning passes’ 8:53 [p. 82]Girls, Mary, SentaTT 64:36COMPACT DISC TWO‘Yohohoey! I see a ship, as black as night’ 10:06 [p. 84]Senta, Girls, Mary‘Stay, Senta! Stay awhile and talk with me’ 13:50 [p. 86]Erik, Senta345678910‘My child, your father’s on the threshold’ 1:38 [p. 89]Daland, Senta‘Senta, my child, extend a welcome to this stranger’ 5:53 [p. 89]Daland‘As from the distant dawn of my creation’ 15:19 [p. 90]Dutchman, Senta‘My crew are bored with this delay’ 2:48 [p. 91]Daland, Senta, DutchmanScene 3‘Steersman, leave your watch!’ 13:28 [p. 92]Norwegian Sailors, Girls, Steersman, Dutchman’s Crew‘What is this madness?’ 2:34 [p. 96]Erik, Senta‘Could you forget those carefree happy hours’ 3:13 [p. 96]Erik‘It’s hopeless! Ah! It’s hopeless!’ 8:30 [p. 97]Dutchman, Erik, Senta, Daland, Mary, Girls, Sailors, Dutchman’s crewTT 77:274 5

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 6© Bayreuther Festspiele GmbH/Arve DindaThe Flying Dutchman is a fantastic piece ofmusic and John Tomlinson has recorded amarvellous interpretation. We are alsoextremely lucky to have Nina Stemme,whose English is so expressive.The first Opera in English recording thatwe made was Wagner’s Siegfried, releasedthirty years ago, and I hopethat you will buy atleast one of thatwonderful EnglishNational OperaRing set.Christie’s, New YorkOctober 2004John Tomlinson in the title roleof The Flying Dutchman at theBayreuth Festival6Sir Peter Moores examining an archaic Chinese bronze from the collection at Compton Verney7

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 8How Wagner found the Flying DutchmanIn December 1842 a local arts journalreported the preparation of a new work at theSaxon Court Opera in Dresden. ‘A secondopera by Richard Wagner, who has becomefamous overnight through his Rienzi, is beingenergetically rehearsed for production… it isentitled The Flying Dutchman, and Wagner hascombined Heine’s fantastic story and theEnglish narrative with some additions of hisown.’The ‘fantastic story’ was by the Germanpoet Heinrich Heine, who had an affectionateobsession for all things Dutch. Heine’s Fromthe Memoirs of Herr von Schnabelewopski(1834) has his travelling hero discover theDutchman legend as a play in an Amsterdamtheatre: ‘You will all be familiar with the storyof that doom-laden ship which can never enterthe shelter of a port and which has now beenroaming the seas from time immemorial. Thatdreadful ship bore its captain’s name, aDutchman who once swore by all the devilsthat he would round some cape or other inspite of the most violent storm which wasraging – even if he had to keep sailing untilthe Day of Judgement.’If the legend of the Flying Dutchman hasany basis in fact, it surely grew up from eventsin the Anglo-Dutch trade rivalry and wars ofthe seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, theperiod when Dutch merchantmen wereregularly rounding South Africa’s Cape ofGood Hope. (A recent Dutch TVdocumentary even wondered whether thephrase ‘Vliegende Hollaender’ was acorruption of the name ‘Vergulde Vlamingh’(‘Gold-plated Fleming’), a hard-driving Dutchsea-captain of that era.) Later, in the 1790s –coincidentally a flood of poems and stories inEnglish and American literature started toappear treating the theme of a cursed sailor onan eternal voyage. Samuel Coleridge Taylor’sRhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Sir WalterScott’s Rokeby, James Fenimore Cooper’s TheRed Rover and Edgar Alan Poe’s The Narrativeof Arthur Gordon Pym are perhaps the bestcrafted of what that Dresden correspondentrightly called ‘the English narrative’ version ofthe legend.At first the play which Heine’s hero attendslooks like a straight retelling of the legend, butthen it suggests a way out for the doomedDutchman: ‘The devil took the ship’s captainat his word and he is forced to roam the seasuntil Judgement Day unless he be saved by awoman’s devotion. In his stupidity the devildoes not believe in woman’s devotion and soallowed the doomed captain to go ashore onceevery seven years, to marry and in that way toseek his salvation.’ So Heine’sSchnabelewopski gets to see ‘Mrs FlyingDutchman’ fling herself off a clifftop, as aresult of which ‘the curse is lifted, theDutchman is saved, and we see the ghostlyship sinking into the depths of the ocean.’Heine intended this new twist to the endingas a mickey-take of what he regarded as asentimental and romanticised ghost story. ‘Themoral of this piece, as far as women areconcerned’, he concludes, ‘is that they shouldbeware of marrying a Flying Dutchman; andwe men should draw from it the lesson thatwomen at best will be our ruin.’ But Wagnertook the possibility of the Dutchman’ssalvation very seriously indeed, noting in anAutobiographical Sketch: ‘Heine’s dramatictreatment – his own invention – of theredemption of this Ahasuerus (the WanderingJew) of the sea gave me all I needed to use thelegend for an opera subject. I came to anagreement with Heine himself…’It was in Paris that Wagner had met Heine,another exiled German intellectual who brieflybefriended him during several years ofpenniless living and (despite a letter ofcommendation from the powerful and wellestablishedMeyerbeer) failure to make hisname in the French capital. After theconversation between poet and composer amutual friend predicted about Wagner that‘from an individual so replete with modernculture, it is possible to expect thedevelopment of a solid and powerful modernmusic’. The first notes of a ‘solid and powerfulmodern music’ were certainly heard in theDutchman score, where Wagner explored theart of characterisation by harmonic language aswell as by colour, rhythm and tempo: adramatic, modern chromaticism for theDutchman himself, his suffering and hiswould-be rescuer Senta, and a rum-ti-tum oldstyle,grand operatic diatonicism for thebourgeois domesticity of Daland, Mary andthe spinning girls. When Wagner began themusic of the new opera in Paris, he washoping for a successful audition with some ofits numbers at the famed Opéra. He was toend up with nothing but a small amount ofmoney from selling his scenario for the workto their management.8 9

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 10Heine’s story, his meeting the author andthe life of a struggling artist in Paris wereimportant spurs to Wagner’s Dutchmanproject, but there was also anautobiographical, ‘on-site’ element to the story.If Wagner first read Heine’s story during hismusic directorship in Riga, it would have beenfresh in his mind during the interrupted seavoyage he made from Russia to France insummer 1839. This journey cast Wagner,almost literally, up on the shore of thesouthern Norwegian coast at the very spot(Sandvika on the island of Borøya) where hisopera would eventually be set. Although localNorwegian research has subsequently goneinto overdrive to trace every step of Wagner’stwo-day stay and to find its equivalents in theDutchman libretto, it can at present only besaid with safety that the Thetis (his ship) didindeed shelter at Borøya from a ferociousstorm that July, and that the island’s granitecliffs make up an echoing wall that may haveinspired the echo calls of the sailors’ chorus inthe opera’s opening scene.However, the importance of Norway to theopera went beyond literal influences. Untilonly weeks before the Dutchman’s January1843 premiere the action was set in Scotland(Act I took place at ‘Holystrand’, Senta wasAnna, her father Donald or just ‘theScotsman’, and Erik was Georg). This waspresumably because not only the Heine storybut also a best-selling German horror story ofthe time which Wagner knew called The Caveat Steenfoll and a popular contemporarymusical (probably known to Heine) called TheFlying Dutchman, or The Phantom Ship wereall set in Scotland, the remote mythical homeof caves, wrecks and sea ghosts. Then(apparently) Wagner suddenly changed hismind and moved the story to Norway. Why?It may have been that he heard that an opera,inspired (not very closely) by the Dutchmansketch which he had sold, had just opened inParis, and he wanted to distance his originalfrom that project. Or he may have wanted toblur the issue of his debt to Heine. (Thirtyyears later Wagner’s rewritten memoirs wouldclaim that ‘Heine’s treatment was borrowedfrom a Dutch play bearing the same title’,forgetting altogether the poet’s ‘own invention’of the redemption ending.) Or perhapsbecause it chimed with an idea he wasbeginning to develop that the creation of awork should always be linked to ‘real’ eventsin a true artist’s life. Later Wagner insisted thatthis 1843 ‘romantic opera’ was the truestarting point of his career as poet and musicdramatist, a belief embraced by the BayreuthFestival which has always declined to stage anyof his earlier works.Although the Dutchman made a dimmerimpression at its Dresden premiere than hadthe bright star of the lengthy, loud andaltogether more conventional Rienzi, the newwork’s eventual acceptance was guaranteed bythe fact that Wagner had at last got his handsupon a genuinely popular subject. Aside fromthe work of the authors mentioned above,there were in the first decades of thenineteenth century two widely circulated (andtranslated) British novels – John Howison’sVanderdecken’s Message Home (the first knowntext to name the ghostly captain) andFrederick Marryat’s The Phantom Ship (whichhas a redemption ending and launched a mini-Flying Dutchman craze in Holland) – and anumber of original or translated Dutch plays(which Heine could actually have seen on hisregular visits to the country). It’s no accidentalso that the first vampire tales of Polidori andByron, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are theexact contemporaries of these maritime ghostnarratives of the Dutchman. Both thesestrands of story use the idea of the deadcoming back to life, or characters being unableto die until some crime or sin committed inthe past has been formally expiated. AsEdward Fitzball, author of the Phantom Shipmusical, noted in his memoirs: ‘These sorts ofdrama were then very much in vogue and TheFlying Dutchman was not by any meansbehind even Frankenstein or Der Freischützitself in horrors and blue fire.’Wagner’s own libretto drew on featurescommon to many versions of the phantomship story: the ghost crew’s attempt to haveletters delivered home to addressees who proveto be long dead (mocked by the Norwegiansailors in the quayside scene), the magicalsailing properties of the Dutchman’s bewitchedship (remarked by the Dutchman himself inthe Sandwike scene), and the old familyportrait of the Dutchman himself (ever presentthroughout the action inside Daland’s house).In a breakthrough in his creation of a newoperatic form parallel to his use of differentharmonic language to stress characterisation,Wagner was able to mix and match theinfluences and references from his readingwith a novelist’s insight. The recent scientificexperiments of Mesmer with magnetism, andthe Romantic fascination of the age withdreams and trances, find their place in hislibretto in Senta’s obsession with theDutchman’s portrait and her instant10 11

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 12identification with the dream in which Erikpredicts the action of the rest of the opera.Going beyond the simple idea of a-life-for-alifeproposed by the climax of Heine’s story,Wagner arrived at a psychoanalyticalperception of the central core of theDutchman legend. His story becomes one ofrestoration in which the dreamer (the cursedsailor) has to be returned to his original, ‘right’state of mind before his mad act of hubris (theoath to round the cape at any cost). Thisrestoration can only be achieved when ahuman being from ‘normal’ life comes tounderstand fully and to feel compassion forthe action and sufferings of the dreamer.Wagner also introduced influences from lessspecific sources. Ahasuerus’s frustratedattempts at suicide in Nicholas Lenau’s epicpoems about the Wandering Jew suggested thefailure of the Dutchman (as told in hisopening monologue) to run his ship agroundor have himself killed by pirates. The placingand content of Senta’s Ballad – some of thefirst music for the opera composed in Paris –owe much to the heroine’s Ballad inBoieldieu’s The White Lady, Act II of whicheven begins with a spinning scene. Marschner,a contemporary whose scores Wagner bothknew and conducted, set his The Vampire inScotland. It includes a ballad sung by a localgirl about the vampire legend which describesthe anti-hero with the identical phrase Sentafinds for the Dutchman, ‘den bleichen Mann’(‘the pale man’, a common tag for sexuallydesired un-deads in nineteenth-centuryliterature).Putting his own wide reading and listeningto fullest advantage, Wagner was not only ableto make his Dutchman a classic of whatbecame known as the Schauerromantik (‘horrorromance’) genre but to transcend his rivals,much as Shakespeare’s Hamlet had done forJacobean tragedy and Puccini’s Tosca would forverismo opera. As his career developed Wagnerreturned to the Dutchman score with affectionbut, whenever he himself led performances,never without making some changes. First hesoftened the brashness of parts of the originalscoring, especially for the brass. (HectorBerlioz, in a generally favourable review of anearly Dresden performance, had criticised adependence on tremolando effects anddiminished sevenths.) Then he altered theending of both overture and opera in the lightof his ‘new’ Tristan-style transformation music,presenting a clearer musical illustration of thestory’s redemptive ending. Finally, whileworking on a ‘model’ production for KingLudwig II in Munich, he considered entirelyrewriting Senta’s Ballad, work which got nofurther than a rough sketch.Wagner himself was never able to realisewhat seems to have been his ideal ofpresenting the opera in one act. It isperformed like that on the present recording,which also incorporates the completedchanges Wagner made to the score during hislifetime.© 2004 Mike AshmanThe Legend of the Flying DutchmanA Dutch sea captain of a merchant ship,caught in terrible seas as he tried to round theCape of Good Hope, swore that he wouldsucceed even if this took him until the Day ofJudgement. Satan heard this blasphemy andcondemned him and his crew to sail the seasfor all eternity. The Dutchman was grantedone chance of redemption: that he bepermitted to leave his ship once in every sevenyears to seek a woman whose love would betrue to him until death. This fidelity alonecould lift the curse. Another term of sevenyears has now expired and the Dutchmanagain comes ashore to seek again a womanwho will save him from his endless fate.SynopsisCOMPACT DISC ONEThe action is set on the Norwegian coastScene 11 – 2Daland’s ship, almost home, is forcedto anchor seven miles up the coast to findshelter from a violent storm. He thinks of hisdaughter, Senta. The exhausted crew soon fallasleep, including the Steersman whom Dalandhas placed on watch.3A second ship now appears – that of theFlying Dutchman. The Dutchman recountshow he has tried to end his life of eternaltorment by drowning himself, running hisship aground and battling with pirates – all tono avail.4Daland appears back on deck and chidesthe Steersman for failing to keep watch. Theysee the Dutchman’s ship and Daland offers theDutchman his hospitality. The Dutchmanboards Daland’s ship and offers him vastwealth in return for a night’s hospitality andalso the possibility of marriage to Daland’sdaughter, Senta. A change in the windallows both ships to set sail for Daland’s homeport.12 13

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 14Scene 25Under the supervision of Daland’shousekeeper, Mary, the women work inDaland’s house while the men are at seaCOMPACT DISC TWO1Senta is preoccupied by the legendaryDutchman and relates his story to hercompanions; she announces herself as the onewhose love will redeem him.There has been an understanding that Sentais to marry the huntsman Erik, her childhoodsweetheart.2Erik appears, deeply troubledby Senta’s obsession with the legend of theDutchman; he tells her about a dream he hadin which he saw Daland return homeaccompanied by the Dutchman, followingwhich she left across the sea with him. Thisserves only to intensify her preoccupation andErik departs in despair.3 – 4Daland arrives with the Dutchman,whom Senta at once recognises.5 – 6Leftalone together, Senta reveals that in herself theDutchman has found the salvation he hassought for so long.Scene 37While Daland’s crew celebrate their safehomecoming, the Dutchman’s crew remainsilent and even refuse offers of food and drink.The Norwegians become uneasy at the silenceof the other crew. When they finally dorespond, it is with an other-worldly songwhich sends the Norwegians fleeing in terror.8 – 9Erik pleads with Senta to honourtheir childhood promises.10The Dutchmanoverhears their exchange and, despite Senta’sassurances, he believes himself to be betrayed,his only hope of redemption lost. He makes toreturn to his ship, and as the Dutchman setssail, Senta sacrifices herself. The Dutchman isthus redeemed.John Tomlinson wasborn in Lancashire.He gained a degree inCivil Engineering atManchester Universitybefore winning ascholarship to theRoyal ManchesterCollege of Music (nowthe Royal NorthernCollege of Music).John Tomlinson has sung regularly withEnglish National Opera since 1974, and withthe Royal Opera, Covent Garden, since 1977,and has also appeared with Opera North,Scottish Opera, Glyndebourne Festival andTouring Operas and Kent Opera. He has sungat the Bayreuth Festival every year since 1988,where he has been heard as Wotan (DasRhinegold and Die Walküre), the Wanderer(Siegfried), Titurel and Gurnemanz (Parsifal ),Mark (Tristan und Isolde), Heinrich(Lohengrin) and Hagen (Götterdämmerung).Foreign engagements include Geneva,Lisbon, New York, Chicago, San Francisco,San Diego, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin(Deutsche Oper and Deutsche Staatsoper),Dresden, Munich and Vienna, and theFestivals of Orange, Aix-en-Provence,Salzburg, Edinburgh and the MaggioMusicale, Florence. His repertoire furtherincludes Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger vonNürnberg), Landgraf (Tannhäuser), the titlerole in Der fliegende Holländer (The FlyingDutchman), Baron Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier),Orestes (Elektra), Moses (Moses und Aron),Green Knight in the world premiere ofHarrison Birtwistle’s Gawain and the GreenKnight, Rocco (Fidelio), King Philip (DonCarlos), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte),Commendatore (Don Giovanni), the four rolesof Lindorf, Coppelius, Dr Miracle andDapertutto in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Golaudand Arkel (Pelléas et Mélisande), Boromeo(Palestrina), Dosifey (Kovanshchina) and titleroles in Boris Godunov, Oberto and Attila.John Tomlinson has a large concertrepertoire and has sung with all the leadingBritish orchestras and in Germany, Italy,Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, Denmarkand the U.S.A. His many recordings include,Donizetti’s Gabriella di Vergy for Opera Rara,and for Chandos’ Opera in English series,Julius Caesar, Mary Stuart, Rigoletto, Werther,discs of highlights from Boris Godunov andDer Rosenkavalier, and two discs of GreatOperatic Arias.John Tomlinson was awarded a CBE in the1997 New Year’s Honours list.Born in Stockholm,Nina Stemme studiedviola at the AdolfFredrik School ofMusic. Whilstpersuing studies inbusinessadministration andeconomics inStockholm she alsotook a course at the Stockholm Opera Studioand completed her vocal studies at the1415

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 16National College of Opera in Stockholm. Shehas been a finalist of the Cardiff Singer of theWorld and winner of the Placido DomingoCompetitions.In 1995 she joined the Cologne Operawhere roles included Pamina (Die Zauberflöte),the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Mimì (LaBohème) and Agathe (Der Freischütz). She hasmade guest appearances at De Vlaamse Operaas Elisabeth (Tannhäuser); in Hamburg asFreia and Gutrune in Wagner’s Ring cycle; inGöteborg as Tosca; in Dresden as the Countess(Le nozze di Figaro); Katerina (Greek Passion)at the Bregenz Festival; as Sister Angelica(Il trittico) in Cologne as well as in the role ofElsa (Lohengrin) in Basel.Other highlights include Senta at theMetropolitan Opera, the Wiener Staatsoperand at the Vlaamse Opera; Marguerite (Faust)and Elisabeth (Tannhäuser) at the SavonlinnaFestival; Manon Lescaut at English NationalOpera; Tatjana (Eugene Onegin) at La Monnaiein Brussels; Katerina (Lady Macbeth of Mzensk)at the Geneva Opera; Sieglinde (Die Walküre)in Cologne, Nyssia (König Kandaules) at theSalzburg Festival; Isolde (Tristan und Isolde) atthe Glyndebourne Festival and the RoyalOpera in Stockholm; the Marschallin(Der Rosenkavalier) at the Göteborg Opera,and Marie (Wozzeck) at the Opéra National deLyon .Concert appearances include Beethoven’sNinth Symphony, Strauss’ Four Last Songs, andthe final scene from Strauss’ Capriccio, withconductors such as Roberto Abbado andAntonio Pappano.Illinois-born bass EricHalfvarson singsregularly with theworld’s mostprestigious operacompanies andsymphony orchestras.His formidableinterpretations of suchvaried and demandingroles such as Baron Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier),Hagen (Götterdämmerung), Claggart (BillyBudd ), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), King Philipand the Inquisitor (Don Carlos), Heinrich(Lohengrin), Hunding (Die Walküre) andMephistopheles (Faust) have been seen withsuch companies as the Opéra de Paris-Bastille,the Bayreuth Festival, The Royal Opera, theMetropolitan Opera in New York, Lyric Operaof Chicago, the Canadian Opera, La Fenice inVenice, Teatro Liceu in Barcelona, theBavarian State Opera in Munich, the ViennaStaatsoper, and the Teatro Colón in BuenosAires, as well as the opera companies of SanFrancisco, Dallas, Houston, Santa Fe andWashington.He has appeared in concert with theChicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony,St Louis Symphony, National Symphony,Houston Symphony, Boston Symphony, theMinnesota Orchestra, the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra,at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and theEdinburgh Festival, as well as with orchestrasin Paris, Seville and Valencia.Eric Halfvarson’s recordings include DonCarlos, Billy Budd, Shostakovich’s Rayok, andBarber’s Antony and Cleopatra.Dublin-born PatriciaBardon studied withDr Veronica Dunne atthe College of Music,and came toprominence as theyoungest ever prizewinnerin the CardiffSinger of the WorldCompetition. Sincethen, she has becomeestablished as a leading international operaticand concert artist.Her many operatic appearances include thetitle role in Tancredi and Arsace (Semiramide)at La Fenice in Venice; the title role in Carmenat the Hamburg Staatsoper, Welsh NationalOpera and Scottish Opera; the title role inLa Cenerentola at La Monnaie and Lausanne;the title role in Orlando in New York, Paris,Lyon, and Antwerp; Penelope (Il ritornod’Ulisse in patria) at the Maggio Musicale andin Athens; Cornelia (Giulio Caesare) andAmastris (Serse) at the Munich Staatsoper,Dresden and Montpellier; Anna (Les Troyens)at the Maggio Musicale; Smeton (AnnaBolena) in San Francisco; the title role inTamerlano in Beaune; Ursule (Beatrice andBenedict) in Amsterdam and for WelshNational Opera; Ruggiero (Alcina) inMontpellier; Bradamante (Alcina) inDrottningholm; Rosmira (Partenope) withChicago Lyric Opera; roles in Guillaume Tell,Mosè in Egitto, Rigoletto, Mephistofele, andLa fanciulla del West at The Royal Opera, aswell as numerous roles for Opera North,Welsh National Opera, and Glyndebourne.Patricia Bardon has an extensive and diverseconcert repertoire working with many of themajor orchestras in venues such as the Lincoln1617

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 18Gavin WilkinsonCenter, Concertgebouw, La Scala, South Bank,Berlin, Madrid, Brussels, the London Proms,Edinburgh Festival, and has given recitals inTokyo, Aix-en-Provence, Covent Garden,Montreux and Dublin.Recordings include Orlando, Elijah, EugeneOnegin, Serse in a live recording from theMunich Staatsoper, Rigoletto and, as part ofChandos’ Opera in English series, the title rolein Carmen.On completion ofhis studies, Britishtenor Kim Begleyjoined the RoyalOpera House,Covent Garden as aprincipal tenor, andappearances therehave included KatyaKabanova, Pfitzner’sPalestrina, Billy Buddand Wozzeck. Covent Garden has also been thestage for two of Kim Begley’s major Wagneriandebuts: Siegmund under Bernard Haitink, andErik under Simone Young.Throughout his career, Kim Begley has alsoenjoyed a continuing relationship with boththe Glyndebourne Festival and EnglishNational Opera. The major Janáček roles thathave featured heavily in his career weredebuted at Glyndebourne, and it was thevenue for his first Florestan (Fidelio). ForEnglish National Opera, he has performedprincipal roles by Britten, Janáček andMussorgsky as well as Wagner’s Parsifal.He has performed at the opera houses inFrankfurt (Lohengrin), Geneva (BorisGodunov), Cologne (Das Rheingold ),Barcelona (The Makropoulos Case), Lyon(Dr Faustus), Berlin (Der Freischütz), Brussels(Khovanshchina), Toulouse (Die Walküre, PeterGrimes), as well in Amsterdam (Peter Grimes),Paris at both the Bastille (Mahagonny, BillyBudd, The Flying Dutchman) and the Châtelet(Fidelio, Dr Faustus), at La Scala Milan(Der Freischütz, Das Rheingold ) and at theBerlin Staatsoper (Der Freischütz). At the LyricOpera of Chicago he has performed TheMakropoulos Case, Mahagonny, Billy Budd andThe Flying Dutchman, and he made hisMetropolitan Opera debut as Lača ( Jenůfa). In2000 Kim Begley made his debut at theBayreuth Festival as Loge in the Ring cycle,conducted by the late Giuseppe Sinopoli.A versatile concert artist, Kim Begley’s corerepertoire includes Britten’s War Requiem,Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Beethoven’sSymphony No. 9 and Missa Solemnis, andMahler’s Das Lied von der Erde and SymphonyNo. 8. A varied discography includes Falstaff,Salome, Das Rheingold and the Grammy awardwinningDr Faustus by Busoni.Peter Wedd studied atthe Guildhall Schoolof Music and Dramawith the late WilliamMcAlpine andsubsequently at theNational OperaStudio. He was aCompany Principal atthe Royal OperaHouse, Covent Garden from 1999 to 2001and is a regular guest artist with WelshNational Opera. As a Company Principal ofthe Royal Opera he sang Ywain (Gawain andthe Green Knight) and Kudrjas (Kat’áKabanová). At Welsh National Opera his roleshave included Don José (Carmen), Tamino(Die Zauberflöte), Don Ottavio (DonGiovanni) and Lača ( Jenůfa).Other appearances in the UK and Irelandhave included Federico (L’Arlesiana) and Pluto(Orphée aux enfers) for Opera Holland Park,Kyska (Šarkatán) and Julius (I cavalieri diEkebù) at the Wexford Festival, and Satyavan(Savitri) at the Aldeburgh Festival, and he hashad a great success singing Rodolfo in a newproduction of La Bohème at London’s RoyalAlbert Hall. Peter Wedd has sung Tamino andEisenstein (Die Fledermaus) for EuropeanChamber Opera as well as Lysander (AMidsummer Night’s Dream) for the SingaporeLyric Theatre.He is much in demand as a concert artistand has worked with orchestras including theLondon Philharmonic, Royal ScottishNational, City of London Sinfonia, NorthernSinfonia and the Bournemouth Symphony.Peter Wedd has appeared at the CoventGarden and Edinburgh Festivals and abroad atthe Maribor Festival, Slovenia and the CernierFestival in Switzerland.Recordings in Chandos’ Opera in Englishseries include Turandot and Jenůfa.Geoffrey Mitchell’s singing career hasencompassed a remarkably wide repertoirefrom early to contemporary music and hastaken him to Scandinavia, Germany, theformer Czechoslovakia, Canada andAustralasia. Early conducting experience withthe BBC led to a wider involvement with hisown singers and in turn to the establishment1819

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 20of the Geoffrey Mitchell Choir. Earlyrecordings resulted in the Choir’s long-terminvolvement with Opera Rara for which it hasmade over thirty recordings. The Choir isenjoying a growing reputation with furtherwork from the BBC and international recordcompanies. For Chandos the GeoffreyMitchell Choir has participated in numerousrecordings in the acclaimed Opera in Englishseries sponsored by the Peter MooresFoundation.The London Philharmonic Orchestra has along-established reputation for its versatilityand artistic excellence. These traits are evidentfrom its performances in the concert hall andopera house, its many award-winningrecordings, its trail-blazing international toursand its pioneering education work. KurtMasur has been the Orchestra’s PrincipalConductor since September 2000. Previousholders of this position, since its foundation in1932 by Sir Thomas Beecham, have includedSir Adrian Boult, Sir John Pritchard, BernardHaitink,Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and FranzWelser-Möst. Since 1992 the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra has been ResidentSymphony Orchestra at the Royal FestivalHall. It has also been Resident SymphonyOrchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera forthe past thirty-eight years.David Parry studiedwith SergiuCelibidache andbegan his career asSir John Pritchard’sassistant. He madehis debut withEnglish MusicTheatre, thenbecame a staffconductor at Städtische Bühnen, Dortmundand at Opera North. He was Music Directorof Opera 80 from 1983 to 1987 and since1992 has been the founding Music Director ofAlmeida Opera.He works extensively in both opera andconcert, nationally and internationally. He hasconducted several productions at EnglishNational Opera and Opera North and appearsregularly with the Philharmonia and LondonPhilharmonic Orchestras. In 1996 he made hisdebut at the Glyndebourne Festivalconducting Così fan tutte, following it in 1998with the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’sFlight.He is a frequent visitor to Spain where hehas given concerts with most of the majorSpanish orchestras. He conducted the Spanishpremiere of Peter Grimes in Madrid and in1996 the first Spanish production ofThe Rake’s Progress. He has appeared inGermany, Switzerland, and The Netherlands,at the Pesaro Festival in Italy, the Hong KongInternational Festival, in Japan with a tour ofCarmen, and in Mexico with the UNAMSymphony Orchestra. Recent new productionshe has conducted include Fidelio at the NewZealand Festival, Lucia di Lammermoor at NewIsraeli Opera and Don Giovanni at StaatsoperHannover.His work in the recording studio includesthe BBC Television production of Marschner’sDer Vampyr and twenty-eight complete operarecordings under the sponsorship of the PeterMoores Foundation. Among these arenumerous discs for the Opera Rara label whichhave won several awards, including the BelgianPrix Cecilia for Donizetti’s Rosmondad’Inghilterra. For Chandos he has conducted aseries of recitals of operatic arias – with BruceFord, Diana Montague, Dennis O’Neill,Alastair Miles, Yvonne Kenny, John Tomlinson,Della Jones and Andrew Shore – as well asThe Marriage of Figaro, A Masked Ball,Idomeneo, Carmen, The Thieving Magpie, DonGiovanni, Don Pasquale, The Elixir of Love,Lucia of Lammermoor, Ernani, Il trovatore,Aida, Faust, Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci,La bohème, Turandot, the award-winning Toscaand highlights from Der Rosenkavalier, all inassociation with the Peter Moores Foundation.2021

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 22Nina Stemme as Senta atthe Vienna State OperaAxel Zeininger/Vienna State OperaCarol PrattEric Halfvarson asRocco in WashingtonNational Opera’sproduction ofBeethoven’s Fidelio2223

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 24British philanthropist Sir Peter Moores established the Peter Moores Foundation in 1964to realise his charitable aims and, to fulfill one of these, the Compton Verney House Trustin 1993 to create a new art gallery in the country. Through his charities he has disbursedmore than £93 million to a wide variety of arts, environmental and social causes ‘to getthings done and open doors for people’.Sir Peter’s philanthropic work began with his passion for opera: in his twenties he helped anumber of young artists in the crucial, early stages of their careers, several of whom –Dame Joan Sutherland, Sir Colin Davis and the late Sir Geraint Evans amongst them –became world-famous.Today, the Peter Moores Foundation supports talented young singers with annualscholarships awarded through the Royal Northern College of Music, has made it possiblefor Chandos Records to issue the world’s largest catalogue of operas recorded in Englishtranslation, and enabled Opera Rara to record rare bel canto repertoire which wouldotherwise remain inaccessible to the general public.In live performance, the Foundation has encouraged the creation of new work andschemes to attract new audiences, financed the publication of scores, especially for worldpremieres of modern operas, and enabled rarely heard works to be staged by British operacompanies and festivals.Projects supported by the Foundation to help the young have ranged from a scheme toencourage young Afro-Caribbeans ‘stay at school’ for further education, to the endowmentof a Faculty Directorship and Chair of Management Studies at Oxford University (providingthe lead donation which paved the way for the development of the Said Business School).In 1993 the Foundation bought Compton Verney, a Grade 1 Georgian mansion inWarwickshire, designed by Robert Adam, with grounds by Capability Brown. ComptonVerney House Trust was set up by Sir Peter to transform the derelict mansion into aworld-class art gallery that would provide an especially welcoming environment for the‘first-time’ gallery visitor. The gallery, which houses six permanent collections, a LearningCentre for all ages, and facilities for major visiting exhibitions, was opened in March 2004by HRH the Prince of Wales. The Compton Verney website can be found at:www.comptonverney.org.ukSir Peter Moores was born in Lancashire and educated at Eton College and Christ Church,Oxford. He was a student at the Vienna Academy of Music, where he produced theAustrian premiere of Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, and worked as an assistantproducer with Viennese artists in Naples, Geneva and Rome, before returning to Englandin 1957 to join his father’s business, Littlewoods. He was Vice-Chairman of Littlewoods in1976, Chairman from 1977 to 1980 and remained a director until 1993.He received the Gold Medal of the Italian Republic in 1974, an Honorary MA from ChristChurch, Oxford, in 1975, and was made an Honorary Member of the Royal NorthernCollege of Music in 1985. In 1992 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire byHM the Queen. He was appointed CBE in 1991 and received a Knighthood in 2003 forhis charitable services to the arts.24 25

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 26Wie Wagner den Fliegenden Holländer entdeckteIm Dezember 1842 berichtete die Zeitung fürdie elegante Welt aus Dresden von derVorbereitung einer Neuinszenierung amKöniglich Sächsischen Hoftheater: “Von demso mit einem Schlage berühmt gewordenenKomponisten des Rienzi, Richard Wagner,wird bereits mit eifriger Eile die zweite Opereinstudirt … Ihr Name ist Der fliegendeHolländer, und Wagner hat auch hier theilsnach Heine's phantastischer Sage, theils nachder englischen Erzählung und mit eigenerZuthat den Text selber zusammen gesetzt.”Mit der “phantastischen Sage” ist dieGeschichte Aus den Memoiren des Herren vonSchnabelewopski (1834) gemeint, in derHeinrich Heines reiselustiger Held den Stoffals Schauspiel in einem Amsterdamer Theatererlebt: “Die Fabel von dem fliegendenHolländer ist Euch gewiss bekannt. Es ist dieGeschichte von dem verwünschten Schiffe, dasnie in den Hafen gelangen kann, und jetztschon seit undenklicher Zeit auf dem Meereherumfährt … jenes grauenhafte Schiff führtseinen Namen von seinem Kapitän, einemHolländer, der einst bei allen Teufelngeschworen, dass er irgendein Vorgebirge,dessen Name mir entfallen, trotz des heftigstenSturms, der eben wehte, umschiffen wolle,und sollte er auch bis zum jüngsten Tagesegeln müssen.”Wenn die Geschichte vom fliegendenHolländer eine historische Grundlage habensollte, so dürfte sie wohl in den kriegerischenHandelsrivalitäten zwischen Holland undEngland während des 17. und 18.Jahrhunderts zu suchen sein, in jener Zeit also,als holländische Schiffe regelmäßig das Kapder guten Hoffnung umrundeten. (In einemDokumentarfilm des niederländischenFernsehens wurde unlängst sogar dieÜberlegung angestellt, dass der Begriff“Vliegende Hollaender” eine Verballhornungvon “Vergulde Vlamingh” sein könnte, dennunter diesem Spitznamen – “Der vergoldeterFlame” – war ein hartgesottener holländischerSeekapitän jener Zeit bekannt.) Kurz vor derWende zum 19. Jahrhundert verbreiteten sichdann in der angloamerikanischen Literatur dieverschiedensten Dichtungen und Erzählungenüber einen fluchbeladenen Seefahrer aufendloser Reise. Samuel Coleridge TaylorsRhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Sir WalterScotts Rokeby, James Fenimore Coopers TheRed Rover und Edgar Alan Poes The Narrativeof Arthur Gordon Pym sind vielleicht diegelungensten Beispiele für das, was derDresdner Korrespondent kurz und knapp die“englische Erzählung” der Geschichte nannte.Zunächst hat es den Anschein, als ob dasvon Heines Herrn Schnabelewopski erlebteSchauspiel die Geschichte nur nacherzählt,doch dann öffnet sich ein Weg zur Erlösungdes Holländers: “Der Teufel hat ihn beimWort gefasst, er muss bis zum jüngsten Tageauf dem Meere herumirren, es sei denn, dasser durch die Treue eines Weibes erlöst werde.Der Teufel, dumm wie er ist, glaubt nicht anWeibertreue, und erlaubte daher demverwünschten Kapitän alle sieben Jahre einmalan Land zu steigen, und zu heuraten, und beidieser Gelegenheit seine Erlösung zubetreiben.” Schnabelewopski berichtet sogar,wie “Frau Fliegende Holländer” sich von einerFelsenklippe ins Meer stürzt, um ihren Mannzu retten: “… nun ist auch die Verwünschungdes fliegenden Holländers zuende … und wirsehen, wie das gespenstische Schiff in denAbgrund des Meeres versinkt.”Mit dieser Schlusswendung wollte Heineder nach seinem Empfinden sentimentalenund romantisierten Schauergeschichte ironischdie Krone aufsetzen. Sein Fazit: “Die Moraldes Stückes ist für die Frauen, dass sie sich inacht nehmen müssen, keinen fliegendenHolländer zu heuraten, und wir Männerersehen aus diesem Stücke, wie wir durch dieWeiber, im günstigsten Falle, zu Grundegehn.” Aber Wagner nahm den Gedanken,dass der Holländer sein Heil finden könnte,sehr viel ernster und bemerkte 1843 in seinerAutobiographischen Skizze: “Die von Heineerfundene, echt dramatische Behandlung derErlösung dieses Ahasverus des Ozeans gab miralles an die Hand, diese Sage zu einemOpernsujet zu benutzen. Ich verständigte michdarüber mit Heine selbst…”Wagner hatte Heine in Paris, wo derDichter bereits im Exil lebte, persönlichkennengelernt. Die kurze Bekanntschaft fiel injene Jahre, als es dem mittellosenKomponisten selbst mit einemEmpfehlungsschreiben von seinemeinflussreichen Vorbild Meyerbeer einfachnicht gelang, in der französischen Hauptstadtzu reüssieren. Der Schriftsteller undTheaterdirektor Heinrich Laube war bei demIdeenaustausch zwischen Heine und Wagnerzugegen und bemerkte anschließend über denKomponisten: “Aus einer solchen mit unsrerheutigen Bildung erfüllten Persönlichkeit26 27

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 28[muss] eine tüchtige moderne Musik sichentwickeln.” Die ersten Klänge einer“tüchtigen modernen Musik” waren sicherlichin der Holländer-Partitur zu vernehmen, in derWagner Pionierarbeit für die Kunst derCharakterisierung nicht nur durch Farbe,Rhythmus und Tempo, sondern auch durchdie Harmoniesprache leistete: einedramatische, moderne Chromatik für denHolländer selbst, sein Leid und seine ErlöserinSenta sowie eine altmodische, grandioseRumtitum-Diatonik für die kleinbürgerlicheHäuslichkeit von Daland, Mary und denSpinnerinnen. Als Wagner den Holländer inAngriff nahm, hoffte er darauf, durch dieVorführung einige seiner Nummern einenKompositionsauftrag von der berühmtenGrand-Opéra zu erhalten. Daraus wurdeletzten Endes nichts. Man war lediglich bereit,ihm das Sujet abzukaufen, und obwohl derErlös gering war, willigte er ein.Heines Erzählung, die Begegnung mit demDichter und das Leben eines armen Künstlersin Paris waren wichtige Motivationen fürWagners Holländer, doch hat dieEntstehungsgeschichte auch einenlokalisierenden autobiographischen Aspekt.Wagner war während seiner Zeit alsMusikdirektor in Riga auf den Heine-Textgestoßen, und der Stoff muss ihm lebhaftbewusst gewesen sein, als er in Sommer 1839auf der Schiffsreise von Russland nachFrankreich an die südnorwegische Küsteverschlagen wurde – nach Sandvika auf derInsel Borøya, dem späteren Schauplatz seinerOper. Bei allen Bemühungen der örtlichenHistoriker, den zweitägigen AufenthaltWagners in allen Einzelheiten zudokumentieren und Entsprechungen imHolländer-Libretto zu finden, lässt sich zurZeit mit Gewissheit lediglich feststellen, dassdie Thetis (sein Schiff) in jenem Julitatsächlich auf Borøya Zuflucht vor einemschweren Sturm suchte und die Granitklippender Insel eine Echowand bilden, die denMatrosenchor in der Eröffnungszene inspirierthaben könnte.Norwegen sollte auf die Oper stärkerenEinfluss nehmen als die literarischenStrömungen. Noch Wochen vor derUraufführung des Holländers im Januar 1843sollte Schottland der Schauplatz der Handlungsein (der erste Akt begann in “Holystrand”,Senta hieß noch Anna, ihr Vater Donald odernur “der Schotte”, und Erik trug den NamenGeorg). Zu erklären ist dies wohl dadurch,dass nicht nur die Heine-Fabel, sondern auchdas bekannte Hauff-Märchen Die Höhle vonSteenfoll und ein erfolgreiches zeitgenössischesSingspiel (auch wohl Heine bekannt) mit demTitel The Flying Dutchman, or The PhantomShip alle in Schottland, jenemsagenumwobenen Hort von Höhlen, Wracksund Seeungetümern, angesiedelt waren. Dannjedoch dachte Wagner offenbar um undverlagerte das Geschehen nach Norwegen.Warum? Vielleicht hatte er erfahren, dassunlängst in Paris eine Holländer-Operangelaufen war, die – wenn auch nicht allzugetreu – auf dem von ihm verkauften Sujetberuhte, so dass er bemüht war, sich von demProjekt zu distanzieren. Vielleicht wollte eraber auch kaschieren, wie stark er Heineverpflichtet war. (Drei Jahrzehnte vermissteman in der revidierten AutobiographischenSkizze Wagners den Hinweis auf die vomDichter “erfundene, echt dramatischeBehandlung der Erlösung” – dort es hieß nurnoch, Heine habe seine Geschichte “einemholländischen Stück gleichen Titelsentnommen”). Möglicherweise fand Wagnerauch langsam Gefallen an dem Gedanken, dassdie Schöpfung eines Werkes immer mit“wirklichen” Begebenheiten im Leben eineswahren Künstlers verknüpft sein sollte. Späterstand für Wagner fest, dass diese “romantischeOper” von 1843 den eigentlichen Beginnseiner Karriere als Dichter undMusikdramatiker darstellte – eineÜberzeugung, der sich die Direktion derBayreuther Festspiele auf jeden Fall anschließt,denn dort hat man es stets abgelehnt, ältereWerke zu inszenieren.Obwohl der Holländer auf dasPremierenpublikum in Dresden wenigerEindruck machte als der strahlende, lange,laute und rundum konventionellere Rienzi,war dem neuen Werk seine spätereAnerkennung gesichert, denn hier hatteWagner zum erstenmal ein echtesErfolgsthema verarbeitet. Neben den Werkender bereits erwähnten Autoren waren in denersten Jahrzehnten des 19. Jahrhunderts zweiweitere britische Romane gut bekannt: JohnHowisons Vanderdecken’s Message Home (mitder ersten namentlichen Erwähnung desgeisterhaften Kapitäns) und FrederickMarryats The Phantom Ship (dieser Romanhatte bereits einen Erlösungsschluss und löstein Holland zeitweilig eine Welle derBegeisterung aus); außerdem gab es eine Reiheholländischer Schauspiele (die Heine beiseinen regelmäßigen Besuchen dort gesehenhaben könnte). Es ist auch kein Zufall, dassdie ersten Vampirgeschichten von Polidori undByron sowie Mary Shelleys Frankenstein genau28 29

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 30zur gleichen Zeit aufkamen wie die maritimenGruselgeschichten über den Holländer. BeideThemenstränge spielen mit dem Gedankender Totenerweckung oder der Verdammungzum ewigen Leben, bis eine Untat in derVergangenheit gesühnt ist. Edward Fitzball,der Autor des Singspiels Phantom Shipbemerkte in seinen Memoiren: “Diese Art vonDrama war damals sehr beliebt, und Derfliegende Holländer stand selbst Frankensteinoder dem Freischütz an Grausen undIrrlichtern um nichts nach.”Wagners Libretto übernimmt Elemente, dievielen Varianten des Geisterschiffthemasgemein sind: die Versuche vonBesatzungsmitgliedern, an Menschen zuschreiben, die seit langem tot sind (Anlass zumSpott für die norwegischen Matrosen imHafen), die magischen Eigenschaften desverwunschenen Schiffes (vom Holländer selbstin der Sandwike-Szene angesprochen) und dasalte Familienbildnis des Holländers (bei allenSzenen in Dalands Haus gegenwärtig). Es warbahnbrechend für die Entwicklung einerneuen Opernform, dass Wagner nicht nur eineandere Harmoniesprache zur individuellenCharakterisierung einsetzen, sondern auch mitdem Einblick eines belesenen Autoren kreativkombinieren konnte, was an literarischenEinflüssen und Bezügen auf ihn einwirkte. Diewissenschaftlichen Experimente Mesmers mitdem Magnetismus, die noch nicht allzu langezurücklagen, und die Begeisterung desromantischen Zeitalters für Träume undTrancen finden ihren Ausdruck auch imLibretto Wagners: in der Versunkenheit Sentasvor dem Porträt des Holländers und ihrerReaktion auf Eriks Erzählung von seinemTraum, der die restliche Handlung vorausahnt.Weit über den einfachen ErlösungsschlussHeines (ein Leben für ein Leben)hinausgehend, erfasst Wagner aufpsychoanalytische Weise den Kern derHolländer-Legende. Bei ihm wird daraus eineGeschichte der Wiederherstellung, wobei derTräumer (der verwunschene Seefahrer) inseinen ursprünglichen, “rechten”Geisteszustand, den vor seinem überheblichenWahnsinnsakt (dem Schwur, das Vorgebirge zuumschiffen, “und sollte er auch bis zumjüngsten Tage segeln müssen”), zurückversetztwerden muss. Diese Wiederherstellung kannnur gelingen, wenn ein “normaler” Mensch dieHandlung und das Leid des Träumers vollbegreift und Mitgefühl zeigt.Wagner verarbeitete auch Einflüsse ausweniger spezifischen Quellen. Die frustriertenSelbstmordversuche von Ahasverus, demewigen Juden in Nikolaus Lenausgleichnamigem Gedicht, spiegeln sich imUnvermögen des Holländers (das er in seinemeinleitenden Monolog beklagt), den eigenenTod zu finden, indem er sich in die Flutenstürzt, sein Schiff zum Klippengrund treibtoder die Piraten verhöhnt. Sentas Ballade –eines der ersten, in Paris entstandenen Stückefür die Oper – hat sich in Anordnung undInhalt bei Boieldieus Oper La Dame blanchezu bedanken, deren Ballade im zweiten Aktsogar mit einer Szene am Spinnrad beginnt.Marschner, ein Zeitgenosse, dessen MusikWagner sowohl kannte als auch dirigierte, ließseine Oper Der Vampyr in Schottland spielen.Dort singt ein Mädchen eine Ballade von derVampirlegende, in der sie den Antihelden mitden gleichen Worten beschreibt wie Senta denHolländer, nämlich als “den bleichen Mann”(ein in der Literatur des 19. Jahrhundertsgängiger Ausdruck für sexuell begehrenswerteUntote).Dank seiner Belesenheit und seinermusikalischen Erfahrungen konnte Wagner denHolländer nicht nur zu einem Klassiker jenesGenres erheben, das als Schauerromantikbekannt wurde, sondern auch seineZeitgenossen in vielfacher Hinsicht überragen –ähnlich wie im Fall von Shakespeares Hamletund der jakobinischen Tragödie oder PuccinisTosca und der Verismo-Oper. Im Laufe seinerweiteren Entwicklung kehrte Wagner gerne zurHolländer-Partitur zurück, auch wenn die vonihm geleiteten Aufführungen nie ohneÄnderungen abliefen. Zunächst nahm er derOriginalpartitur einiges an Sprödigkeit,besonders bei den Blechbläsern (Hector Berliozhatte in seiner ansonsten positiven Rezensioneiner frühen Dresdner Aufführung dieAbhängigkeit von Tremolando-Effekten undverminderten Septimen kritisiert). Dann schrieber das Ende der Ouvertüre und der Oper selbstim Lichte seiner “neuen” Transformationsmusik(à la Tristan) um und machte denVerklärungsschluss musikalisch stärkeranschaulich. Bei der Arbeit an einerModellaufführung für König Ludwig II. inMünchen kam er schließlich auf den Gedanken,Sentas Ballade völlig umzuschreiben, doch gingdieser Ansatz über eine Skizze nicht hinaus.Wagner selbst war es nicht versagt, seineIdealvorstellung von dieser Oper als Einakterzu relisieren. Dies wird in der vorliegendenEinspielung, die alle von Wagner vollendetenÄnderungen an der Partitur berücksichtigt,nachgeholt.© 2004 Mike Ashman30 31

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 32Die Sage vom fliegenden HolländerDer Kapitän eines holländischen Handelsschiffesgeriet vor dem Kap der guten Hoffnung ineinen schrecklichen Sturm und schwor, dass erdas Vorgebirge umrunden würde, selbst wenn erbis zum jüngsten Tag segeln müsste. Der Teufelhörte die Gotteslästerung und verdammte denHolländer mit seiner Besatzung zur endlosenIrrfahrt über die Meere. Ein Weg zur Erlösungstand dem Holländer jedoch offen: Alle siebenJahre durfte er an Land gehen, um eine Frau zufinden, die ihm bis in den Tod treu bleibenwürde. Nur durch die liebevolle Hingabe einersolchen Frau war der Fluch aufzuheben. Wiedersind sieben Jahre abgelaufen, und einmal mehrhofft der Holländer, eine Frau zu finden, die ihnvon seinem Schicksal befreien kann.Die HandlungCOMPACT DISC ONEAn der Küste NorwegensErste Szene1 – 2In einem schweren Sturm wird dasSchiff Dalands sieben Meilen vomHeimathafen abgetrieben und ist gezwungen,Anker zu werfen. Daland denkt an seineTochter Senta. Die erschöpfte Mannschaftfindet Ruhe, und auch der Steuermann, derWache stehen soll, schläft ein.3Ein zweites Schiff erscheint, und derfliegende Holländer kommt an Land. ImSelbstgespräch beklagt er die Verdammung,die all seine Versuche vereitelt hat, sich dasLeben zu nehmen: in den tiefsten Fluten, anden Klippen, im Kampf mit Piraten.4Daland erscheint an Deck und schilt denverschlafenen Steuermann. Beide erblicken dasSchiff des Holländers, und Daland bittet diesengastfreundlich an Bord. Der Holländer willDaland reich aus seinen Schätzen belohnen,wenn er ihm für eine Nacht Obdach gewährtund ihm die Hand seiner Tochter Sentaanbietet. Der Wind dreht sich, und die Schiffekönnen den Heimathafen Dalands anlaufen.Zweite Szene5Unter der Aufsicht von Sentas Amme Marysitzen die Frauen in Dalands Haus beimSpinnen.COMPACT DISC TWO1Senta ist in ein Bild von der Sagengestaltdes fliegenden Holländers versunken undbesingt in einer Ballade sein trauriges Los; sieselbst, so beschließt sie, will das Opferbringen.Senta ist mit einem Freund ausKindheitstagen, dem Jäger Erik, verlobt.2Als dieser erscheint, ist er von SentasVertiefung in die Legende des Holländersbeunruhigt. Er erzählt ihr von einem Traum:Daland sei mit dem Holländer heimgekehrt,und sie sei anschließend mit dem bleichenSeemann aufs Meer geflohen. Dies bestärkt siein ihrer Verzückung, und Erik geht verzweifelt.3 – 4Daland trifft mit dem Holländerein, und Senta erkennt ihn sogleich.5 – 6Mit ihm allein gelassen, gesteht Senta demHolländer, dass er in ihr die ersehnte Erlösunggefunden hat.Dritte Szene7Während Dalands Matrosen und dieDorfbewohner die glückliche Heimkehr feiern,bleibt es an Bord des fremden Schiffes seltsamstill; selbst an Speisen und Getränken ist mandort nicht interessiert. Den Norwegern wird esunbehaglich. Die Mannschaft des Holländersreagiert schließlich mit einem gespenstischenLied, das die Norweger in Furcht versetzt unddas Weite suchen lässt.8 – 9Erik erinnert Senta an ihrGelöbnis, ihm ewige Treue zu halten.10DerHolländer überhört den Wortwechsel undglaubt sich, ungeacht der BeteuerungenSentas, verraten und der einzigen Hoffnungauf seine Erlösung beraubt. Er kehrt auf seinSchiff zurück, und als die Segel gesetztwerden, stürzt Senta sich von einer Klippe insMeer. Der Holländer ist erlöst.Übersetzung: Andreas KlattDer in Lancashire geborene Bass JohnTomlinson studierte zunächst Bauwesen ander Universität Manchester, bevor er alsStipendiat das Royal Manchester College ofMusic (heute: Royal Northern College ofMusic) besuchte.Regelmäßig singt er seit 1974 an derEnglish National Opera und seit 1977 an derRoyal Opera Covent Garden. Außerdem ist eran der Opera North, der Scottish Opera, inGlyndebourne und mit der GlyndebourneTouring Opera sowie der Kent Operaaufgetreten. Seit 1988 singt er jedes Jahr beiden Bayreuther Festspielen, wo man ihn alsWotan (Das Rheingold und Die Walküre),Wanderer (Siegfried ), Titurel und Gurnemanz(Parsifal ), König Marke (Tristan und Isolde),Heinrich (Lohengrin) und Hagen(Götterdämmerung) erlebt hat.3233

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 34Weitere Stationen waren Genf, Lissabon,New York, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego,Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin (Deutsche Oper undDeutsche Staatsoper), Dresden, München undWien, die Festspiele von Orange, Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg, Edinburgh sowie derMaggio musicale in Florenz. SeinOpernrepertoire umfasst auch die Rollen vonHans Sachs (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg),Landgraf (Tannhäuser), die Titelrolle inDer fliegende Holländer, Baron Ochs(Der Rosenkavalier), Orestes (Elektra), Moses(Moses und Aron), Green Knight in derWelturaufführung von Harrison BirtwistlesGawain and the Green Knight, Rocco(Fidelio), Filippo II. (Don Carlos), Sarastro(Die Zauberflöte), Commendatore (DonGiovanni), die vier Rollen von Lindorf,Coppélius, Docteur Miracle und Dapertuttoin Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Golaud und Arkel(Pelléas et Mélisande), Boromeo (Palestrina),Dossifei (Chowanschtschina) und dieTitelrollen in Boris Godunow, Oberto undAttila.John Tomlinson verfügt über einumfangreiches Konzertrepertoire. Er hat mitallen namhaften britischen Orchestern gesungenund auch in Deutschland, Italien, Belgien,Holland, Frankreich, Spanien, Dänemark undden USA konzertiert. Stellvertretend für seinevielen Schallplattenaufnahmen seien hier nurgenannt für Opera Rara Donizettis Gabriella diVergy und für die Chandos-Reihe “Opera inEnglish” Julius Caesar, Mary Stuart, Rigoletto,Werther, Auszüge aus Boris Godunow undDer Rosenkavalier sowie zwei Sammlungengroßer Opernarien.John Tomlinson wurde 1997 mit dembritischen Verdienstorden CBE ausgezeichnet.Nina Stemme wurde in Stockholm geborenund studierte Bratsche an der Adolf-Fredrik-Musikhochschule. Parallel zum Wirtschaftsstudiumin Stockholm besuchte sie einen Kursam Stockholmer Opernstudio und schloss ihrGesangsstudium an der StaatlichenOpernschule in Stockholm ab. Sie stand imFinale des internationalen Sängerwettbewerbs“Singer of the World” in Cardiff und gingsiegreich aus dem Placido-Domingo-Wettbewerb hervor.1995 trat sie der Kölner Oper bei, wo siePartien wie Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Gräfin(Le nozze di Figaro), Mimì (La Bohème) undAgathe (Der Freischütz) sang. Es folgtenGastspiele an De Vlaamse Opera als Elisabeth(Tannhäuser), in Hamburg als Freia undGutrune im Ring des Nibelungen, in Göteborgals Tosca, in Dresden als Gräfin (Le nozze diFigaro), als Katerina (Griechische Passion) beiden Bregenzer Festspielen, als Suor Angelica(Il trittico) in Köln sowie als Elsa (Lohengrin)in Basel.Weitere Höhepunkte waren Senta an derMetropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper undVlaamse Opera, Marguerite (Faust) undElisabeth (Tannhäuser) bei denOpernfestspielen von Savonlinna, ManonLescaut an der English National Opera,Tatjana (Eugen Onegin) an La Monnaie inBrüssel, Katerina (Lady Macbeth von Mzensk)in Genf, Sieglinde (Die Walküre) in Köln,Nyssia (König Kandaules) bei den SalzburgerFestspielen, Isolde (Tristan und Isolde) inGlyndebourne und an der Königlichen OperStockholm, Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier) inGöteborg und Marie (Wozzeck) an der OpéraNational de Lyon.Konzertant ist Nina Stemme mit Dirigentenwie Roberto Abbado und Antonio Pappanou.a. in Aufführungen von Beethovens Neuntersowie den Vier letzten Liedern und der Schluss-Szene Capriccio von Strauss aufgetreten.Der aus Illinois stammende Bass EricHalfvarson tritt regelmäßig mit denberühmten Opernensembles undSinfonieorchestern der Welt auf. Mitfabelhaften Interpretationen solchunterschiedlicher und anspruchsvoller Rollenwie Baron Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier), Hagen(Götterdämmerung), Claggart (Billy Budd ),Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Filippo II. undIl Grande Inquisitore (Don Carlos), Heinrich(Lohengrin), Hunding (Die Walküre) undMéphistophélès (Faust) war er an der Opéra deParis-Bastille, bei den Bayreuther Festspielen,an der Royal Opera Covent Garden,Metropolitan Opera New York, Lyric OperaChicago, Canadian Opera, La Fenice Venedig,am Teatro Liceu Barcelona, der BayerischenStaatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper und am TeatroColón Buenos Aires sowie in San Francisco,Dallas, Houston, Santa Fe und Washington zuerleben.Konzertant ist er mit den Sinfonieorchesternvon Chicago, San Francisco,St. Louis, Houston und Boston, dem NationalSymphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra,London Philharmonic Orchestra, HalleOrchestra, im Amsterdamer Concertgebouwund beim Edinburgh Festival sowie mitOrchestern in Paris, Sevilla und Valenciaaufgetreten.Die Diskographie von Eric Halfvarsonumfasst neben vielen anderen Werken Don3435

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 36Carlos, Billy Budd, Rayok von Schostakowitschund Barbers Antony and Cleopatra.Die in Dublin geborene MezzosopranistinPatricia Bardon studierte bei Veronica Dunneam College of Music in Dublin und machteauf sich aufmerksam, als sie aus deminternationalen Sängerwettbewerb “Singer ofthe World” in Cardiff als jüngste Siegerinhervorging. Inzwischen gilt sie internationalals führende Opern- und Konzertinterpretin.Sie hat die Titelrolle in Tancredi und Arsace(Semiramide) am Teatro la Fenice in Venedig,die Titelrolle in Carmen an der HamburgerStaatsoper, Welsh National Opera und ScottishOpera, die Titelrolle in La Cenerentola amThéâtre de la Monnaie Brüssel und inLausanne, die Titelrolle in Orlando in NewYork, Paris, Lyon und Antwerpen, Penelope(Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria) beim MaggioMusicale in Florenz und in Athen, Cornelia(Giulio Caesare) und Amastris (Serse) an derBayerischen Staatsoper, in Dresden undMontpellier, Anna (Les Troyens) beim MaggioMusicale, Smeton (Anna Bolena) in SanFrancisco, die Titelrolle in Tamerlano inBeaune, Ursule (Béatrice et Bénédict) inAmsterdam und an der Welsh National Opera,Ruggiero (Alcina) in Montpellier, Bradamante(Alcina) in Drottningholm, Rosmira(Partenope) an der Lyric Opera Chicago, Rollenin Guillaume Tell, Mosè in Egitto, Rigoletto,Mephistofele und La fanciulla del West an derRoyal Opera Covent Garden sowie zahlreichePartien an der Opera North, Welsh NationalOpera und in Glyndebourne gesungen.Patricia Bardon verfügt über einumfangreiches und vielfältigesKonzertrepertoire, das sie mit berühmtenOrchestern in aller Welt zusammengeführt hat:Lincoln Center, Concertgebouw, La Scala,South Bank, Berlin, Madrid, Brüssel, Proms undEdinburgh Festival. Außerdem hat sieSolokonzerte in Tokio, Aix-en-Provence, CoventGarden, Montreux und Dublin gegeben.Zu ihren vielen Schallplattenaufnahmengehören Orlando, Elijah, Eugen Onegin, Sersein einer Liveaufnahme von der BayerischenStaatsoper, Rigoletto sowie im Rahmen derChandos-Serie “Opera in English” dieTitelrolle in Carmen.Nach Abschluss seiner Studien trat derbritische Tenor Kim Begley der Royal OperaCovent Garden als Hauptsänger bei; dort hatman ihn u.a. in Katja Kabanowa, PfitznersPalestrina, Billy Budd und Wozzeck erlebt.Covent Garden war für ihn auch derSchauplatz zweier wichtiger Wagner-Debüts:Siegmund unter der Leitung von BernardHaitink und Erik unter der Leitung vonSimone Young.Im Laufe seiner Karriere hat Kim Begleyauch enge Kontakte mit der GlyndebourneFestival Opera und der English NationalOpera unterhalten. Die großen Janáček-Rollen, die sein Repertoire prägen, sang erzuerst in Glyndebourne, wo er auch erstmalsals Florestan (Fidelio) auftrat. An der EnglishNational Opera hat er große Rollen vonBritten, Janáček, Mussorgski und Wagner(Parsifal ) gesungen.Seine Opernkarriere hat ihn nach Frankfurt(Lohengrin), Genf (Boris Godunow), Köln (DasRheingold ), Barcelona (Die Sache Makropulos),Lyon (Doktor Faust), Berlin (Der Freischütz),Brüssel (Chowanschtschina), Toulouse (DieWalküre, Peter Grimes) und Amsterdam (PeterGrimes) geführt, an die Opéra national deParis-Bastille (Mahagonny, Billy Budd, Derfliegende Holländer) und das Théâtre duChâtelet Musical Paris (Fidelio, Doktor Faust),an die Mailänder Scala (Der Freischütz, DasRheingold ) und die Berliner Staatsoper (DerFreischütz). An der Lyric Opera Chicago warer in Die Sache Makropulos, Mahagonny, BillyBudd und Der fliegende Holländer zu erleben,und an der Metropolitan Opera debütierte erals Lača Klemen (Jenu°fa). Im Jahr 2000 tratKim Begley erstmals bei den BayreutherFestspielen auf, als Loge in Das Rheingoldunter der Leitung von Giuseppe Sinopoli.Kim Begley ist auch ein vielseitigerKonzertkünstler. Sein Kernrepertoire umfasstBrittens War Requiem, Elgars Dream ofGerontius, Beethovens Neunte und MissaSolemnis sowie Mahlers Achte und dasDas Lied von der Erde. Unter seinen vielenSchallplattenaufnahmen sind Falstaff,Salome, Das Rheingold und der Grammy-Preisträger Doktor Faust von Busonihervorzuheben.Peter Wedd studierte an der Guildhall Schoolof Music and Drama bei William McAlpineund anschließend am National Opera Studio.Er war von 1999 bis 2001 erster Tenor an derRoyal Opera Covent Garden und gastiertregelmäßig an der Welsh National Opera. Alserster Tenor an der Royal Opera sang er Ywain(Gawain and the Green Knight) und Kudrjás(Katja Kabanowa). An der Welsh NationalOpera ist er als Don José (Carmen), Tamino(Die Zauberflöte), Don Ottavio (DonGiovanni) und Lača Klemen ( Jenůfa)aufgetreten.3637

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 38Weitere Verpflichtungen waren Federico(L’Arlesiana) und Pluto (Orphée aux enfers) mitder Opera Holland Park, Kyska (Šarkatán)und Julius (I cavalieri di Ekebù) beim WexfordFestival sowie Satyavan (Savitri) beimAldeburgh Festival. Außerdem hatte er großenErfolg als Rodolfo in einer Neuinszenierungvon La bohème in der Royal Albert HallLondon. Peter Wedd hat Tamino undEisenstein (Die Fledermaus) mit derEuropäischen Kammeroper sowie Lysander(A Midsummer Night’s Dream) am LyricTheatre Singapur gesungen.Als vielgefragter Konzertkünstler ist er u.a.mit dem London Philharmonic Orchestra unddem Royal Scottish National Orchestra, derCity of London Sinfonia und der NorthernSinfonia sowie dem Bournemouth SymphonyOrchestra aufgetreten. Peter Wedd hat beiFestspielen wie in Covent Garden undEdinburgh, Maribor (Slowenien) und Cernier(Schweiz) gesungen.Für die Chandos-Serie “Opera in English”hat er Turandot und Jenůfa aufgenommen.Geoffrey Mitchells Gesangskarriere hat ihmein bemerkenswert breitgefächertes Repertoirevon der alten bis zur neuen Musik beschertund ihn nach Skandinavien, Deutschland, indie ehemalige Tschechoslowakei, nach Kanadaund Australasien geführt. Nachdem er bei derBBC erste Dirigiererfahrungen gesammelthatte, begann er mit eigenen Sängern zuarbeiten und gründete den Geoffrey MitchellChoir. Aus ersten Aufnahmen entwickelte sicheine langfristige Zusammenarbeit des Chorsmit Opera Rara, für die er über dreißigTonträger aufgenommen hat. Der Chorgenießt wachsendes Ansehen und ist bei derBBC und internationalen Plattenfirmengefragt. Für Chandos hat der GeoffreyMitchell Choir an zahlreichen Aufnahmen derhervorragend kritisierten Reihe Opera inEnglish unter der Schirmherrschaft der PeterMoores Foundation teilgenommen.Das London Philharmonic Orchestra ist seitlangem als vielseitiges und künstlerischherausragendes Orchester fest etabliert. Bezeugtwird dies durch Konzert- undOpernaufführungen, vielfach preisgekrönteSchallplattenaufnahmen, bahnbrechendeinternationale Gastspielreisen undwegbereitende pädagogische Arbeit.Chefdirigent des Orchesters ist seit September2000 Kurt Masur. Er steht in einer langenTradition, die seit der Gründung desOrchesters durch Sir Thomas Beecham imJahre 1932 durch Sir Adrian Boult, Sir JohnPritchard, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti,Klaus Tennstedt und Franz Welser-Möstaufgebaut wurde. Seit 1992 ist das LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra dasGastsinfonieorchester der Royal Festival Hallund bereits seit achtunddreißig Jahren dasGastsinfonieorchester an der GlyndebourneFestival Opera.David Parry hat bei Sergiu Celibidache studiertund seine berufliche Laufbahn als Assistent vonSir John Pritchard begonnen. Er hat am EnglishMusic Theatre debütiert und wurde dannDirigent mit Festvertrag an den StädtischenBühnen Dortmund und an der Opera North.Von 1983 bis 1987 war er Musikdirektor derOpera 80 und seit 1992 Gründungsmitgliedund Direktor der Almeida Opera.Er übt in Großbritannien und internationaleine weitgespannte Tätigkeit in den BereichenOper und Konzert aus, hat mehrereProduktionen der English National Opera undder Opera North dirigiert und tritt regelmäßigmit dem Philharmonia Orchestra und demLondon Philharmonic Orchestra auf. 1996 gaber sein Debüt beim Glyndebourne Festival mitCosì fan tutte und hat dort 1998 dieUraufführung von Jonathan Doves Flightgeleitet.Er ist häufig in Spanien zu Gast und hat mitden meisten bedeutenden spanischenOrchestern Konzerte gegeben. In Madrid hat erdie spanische Uraufführung von Peter Grimesdirigiert, und 1996 die erste spanischeInszenierung von The Rake’s Progress. Er ist inDeutschland, der Schweiz und denNiederlanden aufgetreten, bei den Festspielenin Pesaro, beim Hong Kong InternationalFestival, in Japan anläßlich einer Carmen-Tournee und in Mexiko mit dem UNAMSymphony Orchestra. Zu denNeuproduktionen, die er in letzter Zeit dirigierthat, zählen Fidelio beim New Zealand Festival,Lucia di Lammermoor an der New IsraeliOpera und Don Giovanni an der StaatsoperHannover.Seine Tätigkeit im Aufnahmestudio umfaßtdie Produktion von Marschners Der Vampyrfürs BBC-Fernsehen und achtundzwanzigvollständige Opernaufzeichnungen unter derSchirmherrschaft der Peter MooresFoundation. Darunter befinden sich zahlreicheAufnahmen der Reihe Opera Rara, diemehrere Preise gewonnen haben, beispielsweiseden belgischen Prix Cecilia für DonizettisRosmonda d’Inghilterra. Für Chandos hat er dieAufzeichnung einer Serie von Programmenmit Opernarien geleitet (mit Bruce Ford,3839

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 40Diana Montague, Dennis O’Neill, AlastairMiles, Yvonne Kenny, John Tomlinson, DellaJones und Andrew Shore), außerdem TheMarriage of Figaro, A Masked Ball, Idomeneo,Carmen, The Thieving Magpie,Don Giovanni, Don Pasquale, The Elixir ofLove, Lucia of Lammermoor, Ernani,Il trovatore, Aida, Faust, Cavalleria rusticana,Pagliacci, La bohème, Turandot, diepreisgekrönte Tosca und Highlights aus demRosenkavalier, jeweils in Zusammenarbeit mitder Peter Moores Foundation.Dan Rest/Lyric Opera of ChicagoKim Begley as Erik withLyric Opera of Chicago4041

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 42Comment Wagner trouva-t-il le Hollandais volant?En décembre 1842, un journal d’art localannonça la préparation d’une nouvelle œuvre àl’Opéra de la cour de Saxe à Dresde. “Undeuxième opéra de Richard Wagner, qui estdevenu célèbre du jour au lendemain avec sonRienzi, est en pleine répétition pour uneproduction… il est intitulé Le Hollandaisvolant, et Wagner a combiné l’histoirefantastique de Heine avec le récit anglais etquelques additions de sa propre invention”.L’“histoire fantastique” en question était dupoète allemand Heinrich Heine, qui avait uneobsession affectueuse avec tout ce qui esthollandais. Dans son Aus den Memoiren desHerren von Schnabelewopski (D’après lesmémoires du seigneur de Schnabelwopski,1834), Heine raconte comment son hérosvoyageur découvre la légende du Hollandaisdans une pièce jouée à Amsterdam: “Chacunconnaît l’histoire de ce vaisseau maudit qui nepeut jamais trouver refuge dans un port, et quierre sur les mers depuis les tempsimmémoriaux. Ce terrible vaisseau porte lenom de son capitaine, un Hollandais quiautrefois jura par tous les diables qu’il passeraitun certain cap malgré la tempête la plus42violente qui régnait alors – même s’il lui fallaitnaviguer jusqu’au jour du Jugement dernier.”Si la légende du Hollandais volant possèdeun lien quelconque avec la réalité, elle naquitcertainement des événements provoqués par larivalité commerciale et par les guerres entrel’Angleterre et la Hollande aux dix-septième etdix-huitième siècles, période pendant laquelleles bateaux de commerce hollandais passaientrégulièrement par le Cap de Bonne Espéranceen Afrique du Sud. (Un récent documentairede la télévision hollandaise alla même jusqu’àse demander si l’expression “VliegendeHollaender” était ou non la déformation dunom “Vergulde Vlamingh” (“Flamand d’Or”),un intrépide capitaine de la marine marchandehollandaise de cette époque.) C’est au coursdes années 1790 qu’un flot de poèmes etd’histoires traitant du thème d’un capitainemaudit condamné à voyager pour l’éternitécommença à apparaître dans la littératureanglaise et américaine. Le Rhyme of the AncientMariner (La Ballade du vieux marin) deSamuel Taylor Coleridge, Rokeby de Sir WalterScott, The Red Rover (Le Corsaire rouge) deJames Fenimore Cooper et The Narrative ofArthur Gordon Pym (Les Aventures d’ArthurGordon Pym de Nantucket) d’Edgar Poe sontpeut-être les meilleurs exemples de ce que lecorrespondant de Dresde qualifia avec justessede “récit anglais” de la légende.Bien qu’au premier abord la pièce à laquelleassiste le héros de Heine donne l’impression desimplement raconter la légende, elle suggèrecependant une voie de sortie pour leHollandais damné: “Prenant au mot lecapitaine du vaisseau, le diable le contraint àerrer sur les mers jusqu’au jour du JugementDernier à moins que le dévouement d’unefemme ne vienne le sauver. Le diable est tropstupide pour croire à un tel dévouement, etautorise le capitaine maudit à revenir à terreune fois tous les sept ans, à se marier et ainsitrouver son salut.” Le Schnabelewopski deHeine voit donc “Mme Hollandais volant” sejeter du haut d’une falaise, ce qui a pour effetque “la malédiction est levée, le Hollandais estsauvé, et l’on voit le vaisseau fantômes’enfoncer dans les profondeurs de l’océan.”Heine cherchait avec ce nouveaudénouement à se moquer de ce qu’ilconsidérait comme étant une histoire defantôme sentimentale et romantisée. “Lamorale de cette pièce, en ce qui concerne lesfemmes”, conclut-il, “est qu’elles doivent43prendre garde d’épouser un Hollandais volant;et nous, les hommes, nous devons en tirer laleçon que les femmes seront au mieux notreruine.” Mais Wagner prit la possibilité de larédemption du Hollandais très au sérieux,notant dans son Esquisse autobiographique: “Letraitement dramatique de Heine – sa propreinvention – de la rédemption de cet Ahasuerus(le Juif errant) des mers me donna tout cedont j’avais besoin pour utiliser la légendecomme sujet d’opéra. Je parvins à un accordavec Heine lui-même…”C’est à Paris que Wagner rencontra Heine,un autre intellectuel allemand exilé qui futbrièvement son ami pendant les années depénuries et (malgré une lettre derecommandation de Meyerbeer, un personnagepuissant et parvenu) son insuccès à se faire unnom dans la capitale française. Après leurconversation, un ami commun prédit à proposde Wagner que “d’un individu si rempli deculture moderne, il est possible de s’attendreau développement d’une musique solide etpuissamment moderne”. Les premières notesde cette “musique solide et puissammentmoderne” résonnèrent certainement dans lapartition du Vaisseau fantôme, dans laquelleWagner utilisa pour la première fois l’art decaractériser par le langage harmonique aussi

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 44bien que par la couleur, le rythme et le tempo:un chromatisme dramatique et moderne pourle Hollandais, ses souffrances et celle quidevrait le sauver, Santa, et un diatonisme destyle grand opéra traditionnel pour la viefamiliale bourgeoise de Daland, Marie et desjeunes fileuses. Quand Wagner commença lamusique de son nouvel ouvrage à Paris, ilespérait obtenir du succès avec plusieurs de sesnuméros au célèbre Opéra. Il ne parvint àobtenir qu’une somme dérisoire en vendant lescénario de son œuvre à la direction duthéâtre.L’histoire de Heine, sa rencontre avecl’auteur et l’existence difficile d’un artiste àParis furent des motifs importants pour leprojet du Vaisseau fantôme de Wagner, mais unélément autobiographique “sur le lieu” jouaégalement un rôle dans la genèse de l’œuvre. SiWagner lut pour la première fois le récit deHeine pendant la période où il était ledirecteur musical du Théâtre de Riga, ce récitfut sans doute encore présent à sa mémoirelors de la traversée ininterrompue sur merentre la Russie et la France qu’il effectua aucours de l’été 1839. Ce voyage plaça lecompositeur, de manière presque littérale, prèsde la côte du sud de la Norvège dans le lieumême (Sandwike sur l’île de Borøya) oùl’action de son opéra allait se dérouler. Bienque les recherches norvégiennes sur les lieuxaient par la suite tout fait pour retracer chacundes mouvements de Wagner pendant les deuxjours qu’il y passa et trouver leurs équivalentsdans le livret du Vaisseau fantôme, il estaujourd’hui seulement possible d’affirmer quele Thetis (son bateau) trouva refuge à Borøyapendant une violente tempête au mois dejuillet, et que les falaises de granit de l’îleforment un mur dont l’écho inspira peut-êtreles échos du chœurs des matelots dans la scèned’ouverture de l’opéra.Cependant, l’influence de la Norvège dansl’opéra s’étendit au-delà des influenceslittérales. Jusqu’à seulement quelques semainesavant la création du Vaisseau fantôme enjanvier 1843, l’action se déroulait en Écosse(l’Acte I se situait à “Holystrand”, Sentas’appelait Anna, son père Donald ousimplement “l’Écossais”, et Erik portait le nomde Georg). C’était probablement parce quenon seulement l’histoire de Heine maiségalement une histoire d’épouvante allemandetrès populaire à l’époque que Wagnerconnaissait sous le titre de The Cave atSteenfooll (La Grotte de Steenfool) et une pièce[anglaise] contemporaine à la mode(probablement connue de Heine) intituléeThe Flying Dutchman, or the Phantom Ship(Le Hollandais volant ou Le Vaisseau fantôme),se situaient toutes en Écosse, le pays lointain etmythique des grottes, des épaves et desfantômes marins. Wagner (apparemment)changea subitement d’idée et déplaça l’histoireen Norvège. Pourquoi? Peut-être apprit-ilqu’un opéra, s’inspirant (de manière plutôtlibre) de l’esquisse du Hollandais qu’il avaitvendue, venait juste d’être présenté à Paris, etpréféra-t-il distancier son idée originale de cetopéra. Ou peut-être chercha-t-il à brouiller sadette envers Heine. (Trente ans plus tard,Wagner remania ses mémoires et prétendit que“le traitement de Heine était un emprunt àune pièce hollandaise portant le même titre”,et oublia complètement “l’invention” par lepoète de la rédemption du héros.) Ou peutêtreparce que cela s’accordait avec l’idée qu’ilcommençait à développer selon laquelle uneœuvre devrait toujours être reliée auxévénements “réels” de la vie d’un véritableartiste. Plus tard, Wagner insista que cet “opéraromantique” de 1843 constituait le véritablepoint de départ de sa carrière de poète et demusicien dramaturge, une croyante adoptéepar le Festival de Bayreuth qui a toujoursrefusé de représenter aucun de ses opérasantérieurs.Bien que le Vaisseau fantôme ait produit unefaible impression lors de sa création à Dresdecomparé au début éclatant de Rienzi, unouvrage long, bruyant et entièrement plusconventionnel, le succès à venir du nouvelopéra était garanti par le fait que Wagner avaitenfin mis la main sur un sujet véritablementpopulaire. Outre les œuvres des écrivainsmentionnés plus haut, il existait pendant lespremières décennies du dix-neuvième siècledeux romans anglais (traduits) très répandus –Vanderdecken’s Message Home (La Lettre au paysde Vanderdecken) de John Howison (le premiertexte connu mentionnant le capitainefantôme) et The Phantom Ship (Le Vaisseaufantôme) de Frederick Marryat (qui se terminepar une rédemption et provoqua en Hollandeune mini vogue pour le Hollandais volant) –ainsi que plusieurs pièces hollandaisesoriginales ou traduites (que Heine vit peut-êtrelors de ses séjours réguliers en Hollande). Cen’est pas non plus un hasard si les premierscontes de vampires de Polidori et de Byron, etle Frankenstein de Mary Shelley sont lescontemporains exacts des ces récitsfantomatiques marins du Hollandais. Ces deuxgenres d’histoire utilisent la même idée d’unmort revenant à la vie ou de personnagesincapables de mourir jusqu’à ce qu’une faute4445

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 46ou un crime commis dans le passé ait été expiéen bonne et due forme. Comme EdwardFitzball, l’auteur de la pièce The Phantom Ship,le nota dans ses mémoires: “Ces genres dedrames étaient alors très en vogue, et leHollandais volant n’était en aucun cas inférieurà Frankenstein ou à Der Freischütz du point devue de l’épouvante et du flamboyant.”Le livret de Wagner reprend des élémentscommuns à de nombreuses versions del’histoire du vaisseau fantôme: la tentative desmembres de l’équipage fantôme d’envoyer deslettres à leurs familles dont les destinataires serévèlent être morts depuis longtemps (ils sonttournés en dérision par les matelotsnorvégiens), les propriétés magiques denavigation du vaisseau ensorcelé du Hollandais(remarquées par le Hollandais lui-même dansla scène de Sandwike), et l’ancien portrait defamille du Hollandais (omniprésent tout aulong de l’action dans la maison de Daland).En une percée dans sa création d’une nouvelleforme d’opéra parallèle à son utilisation d’unlangage harmonique différent pour mettre envaleur ses personnages, Wagner se révélacapable de mêler et d’égaler les influences etles références de ses lectures avec l’intuitiond’un romancier. Les expériences scientifiquessur le magnétisme de Mesmer recents, et lafascination romantique de l’époque avec lesrêves et les transes, trouvent leur place dansson livret à travers l’obsession de Senta pour leportrait du Hollandais, et quand elles’identifie immédiatement avec le rêve danslequel Erik prédit le déroulement du reste del’opéra. Allant au-delà de la simple idéed’une-vie-pour-une-vie proposée par le pointculminant de l’histoire de Heine, Wagnerparvint à une perception psychanalytique dunoyau central de la légende du Hollandais.Son histoire devient celle d’une réparationdans laquelle le rêveur (le marin maudit)doit revenir à son état d’esprit original et“droit” avant l’orgueil insensé de son acte(le serment de passer le cap à tout prix). Cetteréparation ne peut se réaliser que si un êtrehumain de la vie “normale” parvient àcomprendre complètement le rêveur et àéprouver de la compassion pour son acte et sessouffrances.Wagner introduisit également des influencesprovenant de sources moins spécifiques. Lesfrustrantes tentatives de suicide d’Ahasuerusdans les poèmes épiques traitant du Juif Errantde Nicholas Lenau suggèrent l’échec duHollandais (comme il le raconte dans sonpremier monologue) à faire couler son vaisseauou à se faire tuer par des pirates. La position etle contenu de la Ballade de Senta – l’une despremières pages de l’opéra composées à Paris –doit beaucoup à la Ballade de l’héroïne à l’ActeII de La Dame blanche de Boieldieu, quicommence également par une scène avec desfileuses. Heinrich Marschner, uncontemporain dont Wagner connaissait etdirigeait les partitions, situe son opéra DerVampyr (Le Vampire) en Écosse. Il contient uneballade chantée par une fille du pays racontantla légende du vampire qui décrit l’anti-hérospar la même expression utilisée par Santa pourqualifier le Hollandais, “den bleichen Mann”(“l’homme pâle”, une formule courante dans lalittérature du dix-neuvième siècle pourdésigner un individu non-mort exerçant uneattirance sexuelle).En tirant le meilleur parti de ses vasteslectures et de ce qu’il avait entendu, Wagnerfut non seulement capable de faire de sonVaisseau fantôme un classique de ce qui allaitdevenir le Schauerromantik (le genre “romand’épouvante”), mais également de transcendersur bien des points ses rivaux, commeShakespeare avec Hamlet par rapport à latragédie jacobéenne ou Puccini avec Tosca parrapport à l’opéra vériste. Tout au long de sacarrière, Wagner revint à sa partition duVaisseau fantôme avec affection, mais à chaquefois qu’il dirigea lui-même l’œuvre, il luiapporta des retouches. Il commença paratténuer le tape-à-l’œil de certaines parties del’orchestration originale, en particulier cellesdes cuivres (Hector Berlioz, dans son compterendu généralement favorable de l’une despremières exécutions données à Dresde, avaitcritiqué un trop grand nombre d’effets detremolando et de septièmes diminuées). Plustard, Wagner altéra la fin de l’ouverture et cellede l’opéra à la lumière de sa “nouvelle”technique de transformation développée dansTristan, présentant une illustration musicaleplus claire de la fin rédemptrice de l’histoire.Enfin, pendant la préparation d’uneproduction “modèle” pour le roi Louis IIde Bavière à Munich, il songea àcomplètement récrire la Ballade de Senta, untravail qui ne dépassa pas l’état d’une simpleesquisse.Wagner ne parvint jamais à réaliser ce quisemble avoir été son idéal de présenterl’opéra en un seul acte. Il est joué de cettemanière dans le présent enregistrement quiincorpore également toutes les modificationsapportées par le compositeur au cours de sacarrière.© 2004 Mike Ashman4647

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 48La légende du Hollandais volantPris dans une mer déchaînée alors qu’il tentaitde franchir le Cap de Bonne Espérance, lecapitaine hollandais d’un navire de commercejura de réussir, dût-il continuer jusqu’au jour duJugement Dernier. Entendant ce blasphème, lediable condamna le capitaine et son équipage àerrer sur les mers pour l’éternité. Le Hollandaisse vit néanmoins accorder une chance derédemption: tous les sept ans, il peut faire escalepour chercher une femme capable de l’aimerjusqu’à la mort. Seule une telle fidélité pourralever la malédiction. Une nouvelle période desept ans s’est écoulée, et le Hollandais vient denouveau à terre à la recherche de la femme quile sauvera de son destin sans issue.ArgumentCOMPACT DISC ONEL’action se situe sur la côte norvégienne.Scène 11 – 2Presque parvenu au port, le navire deDaland est contraint de jeter l’ancre à septmilles de la côte afin de se protéger d’uneviolente tempête. Il songe à sa fille, Senta.L’équipage épuisé s’endort rapidement, ycompris le Pilote que Daland a mis degarde.3Un second vaisseau apparaît – celui duHollandais volant. Le Hollandais racontecomment il a tenté de mettre fin à son existencefaite de tourments éternels en se noyant, enfaisant sombrer son navire et en se battant avecdes pirates – mais à chaque fois en vain.4Daland apparaît sur le pont etréprimande le Pilote d’avoir manqué à sondevoir en s’endormant. Ils voient le vaisseaudu Hollandais, et Daland lui offre l’hospitalité.Monté à bord du navire de Daland, leHollandais lui promet une vaste fortune enéchange d’une nuit d’hospitalité et s’il peutépouser Senta, la fille de Daland. Le vent étanttombé, les deux navires lèvent l’ancre et sedirigent vers le port de Daland.Scène 25Sous la supervision de Mary, lagouvernante de Daland, les femmes travaillentdans la maison de Daland pendant que leshommes sont en mer.COMPACT DISC TWO1Senta pense constamment au légendaireHollandais, et raconte son histoire à sescompagnes. Elle déclare que c’est elle qui lesauvera grâce à son amour.Tout le monde pense que Senta épousera lechasseur Erik, son amoureux depuis l’enfance.2Erik entre et est profondément troublé parl’obsession de Senta pour la légende duHollandais. Il lui raconte qu’il a fait un rêvedans lequel il a vu Daland revenir au portaccompagné du Hollandais, puis Senta repartiravec lui en mer. Ce récit ne fait qu’accroîtrel’obsession de Senta, et Erik sort désespéré.3 – 4Daland arrive avec le Hollandais.Senta le reconnaît immédiatement.5 – 6Laissé seuls, Senta révèle au Hollandais qu’elleest la femme qu’il recherche depuis silongtemps.Scène 37Tandis que l’équipage de Daland célèbreleur retour au port, l’équipage du Vaisseaufantôme demeure silencieux, refusant même deboire ou de manger. Ce silence commence àmettre les Norvégiens mal à l’aise. Quandl’équipage du Vaisseau fantôme répond enfin,c’est avec une chanson d’outre monde quiépouvante les Norvégiens et les fait fuir.8 – 9Erik supplie Senta de tenir lapromesse qu’elle lui fit tout enfant del’épouser.10Le Hollandais surprend leurconversation, et malgré les assurances de Senta,il croit être trahi et avoir perdu son uniquechance de rédemption. Il remonte à bord deson vaisseau, et tandis qu’il lève l’ancre, Sentase sacrifie. Ainsi, le Hollandais est sauvé.Traduction: Francis MarchalNé dans le Lancashire, John Tomlinson obtintun diplôme d’ingénieur civil à l’Université deManchester avant de remporter une boursed’études au Royal Manchester College ofMusic (aujourd’hui rebaptisé Royal NorthernCollege of Music).John Tomlinson chante régulièrement àl’English National Opera depuis 1974, et auRoyal Opera de Covent Garden depuis 1977.Il se produit également à l’Opera North, auScottish Opera, au Festival de Glyndebourne,avec le Glyndebourne Touring Opera, et auKent Opera. Depuis 1988, il chante tous lesans au Festival de Bayreuth où il a incarné lerôle de Wotan (Das Rheingold et Die Walküre),le Voyageur (Siegfried ), Titurel et Gurnemanz(Parsifal ), Mark (Tristan und Isolde), Heinrich(Lohengrin) et Hagen (Götterdämmerung).Il s’est produit à l’étranger à Genève,Lisbonne, New York, Chicago, San Francisco,San Diego, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin (au4849

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 50Deutsche Oper et au Deutsche Staatsoper), àDresde, Munich et Vienne, et aux festivalsd’Orange, d’Aix-en-Provence, de Salzburg,d’Édimbourg et au Maggio Musicale deFlorence. Son répertoire inclut également lerôle de Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger vonNürnberg), Landgraf (Tannhäuser), le rôle titredans Der fliegende Holländer, le Baron Ochs(Der Rosenkavalier), Orestes (Elektra), Moses(Moses und Aron), le Chevalier vert dans lapremière mondiale de Gawain and the GreenKnight de Harrison Birtwistle, Rocco (Fidelio),le roi Philippe (Don Carlos), Sarastro(Die Zauberflöte), le Commandeur(Don Giovanni), les quatre rôles de Lindorf,Coppelius, Docteur Miracle et Dapertuttodans Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Golaud et Arkel(Pelléas et Mélisande), Boromeo (Palestrina),Dosifey (Khovantchina), et les rôles titres dansBoris Godounov, Oberto et Attila.John Tomlinson possède un vaste répertoirede concert, et a chanté avec tous les grandsorchestres britanniques, ainsi qu’en Allemagne,Italie, Belgique, Hollande, France, Espagne,Danemark et aux États-Unis. Sa richediscographie inclut Gabriella di Vergy deDonizetti pour Opera Rara, Julius Caesar,Mary Stuart, Rigoletto, Werther, les albumsd’extraits de Boris Godounov et deDer Rosenkavalier, et deux disques dans la sérieGreat Operatic Arias, tous pour la série Operain English de Chandos.John Tomlinson a été fait commandeur del’ordre de l’empire britannique (CBE) en1997.Née à Stockholm, Nina Stemme étudia l’alto àl’École de musique Adolf Fredrik. Tout enpoursuivant des études de commerce etd’économie à Stockholm, elle suivit égalementdes cours de chant à l’Opéra Studio deStockholm, puis termina ses études vocales auCollège national d’opéra de Stockholm.Finaliste du Concours international de Cardiff,elle est lauréate du Concours PlacidoDomingo.En 1995, Nina Stemme devint membre del’Opéra de Cologne où elle chanta des rôlestels que Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), la Comtesse(Le nozze di Figaro), Mimì (La Bohème) etAgathe (Der Freischütz). Elle a chanté le rôled’Elisabeth (Tannhäuser) au De VlaamseOpera; Freia et Gutrune dans le cycle du Ringde Wagner à Hambourg; Tosca à Göteborg; laComtesse (Le nozze di Figaro) à Dresde;Katerina (Greek Passion) au Festival deBregenz; Sœur Angelica (Il trittico) à Cologne,et Elsa (Lohengrin) à Bâle.Nina Stemme a également chanté le rôle deSenta au Metropolitan Opera de New York, auWiener Staatsoper et au Vlaamse Opera;Marguerite (Faust) et Elisabeth (Tannhäuser) auFestival de Savonlinna; Manon Lescaut àl’English National Opera; Tatiana (EugèneOnéguine) au Théâtre de La Monnaie deBruxelles; Katerina (La Lady Macbeth deMtsensk) à l’Opéra de Genève; Sieglinde (DieWalküre) à Cologne, Nyssia (König Kandaules)au Festival de Salzburg; Isolde (Tristan undIsolde) au Festival de Glyndebourne et à l’Opéraroyal de Stockholm; la Maréchale (DerRosenkavalier) à l’Opéra de Göteborg, et Marie(Wozzeck) à l’Opéra National de LyonEn concert, elle a chanté dans la NeuvièmeSymphonie de Beethoven, ainsi que les Vierletzte Lieder et la scène finale de Capriccio deStrauss, sous la direction de chefs tels queRoberto Abbado et Antonio Pappano.Né dans l’Illinois, la basse Eric Halfvarsonchante régulièrement dans les plus grandsthéâtres lyriques et avec les plus grands orchestressymphoniques du monde. Ses interprétationsexceptionnelles de rôles aussi variés et aussidifficiles que le Baron Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier),Hagen (Götterdämmerung), Claggart (BillyBudd ), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), le roi Philippeet l’Inquisiteur (Don Carlos), Heinrich(Lohengrin), Hunding (Die Walküre) etMéphistophélès (Faust) ont été entendus dansdes théâtres tels que l’Opéra de Paris-Bastille, auFestival de Bayreuth, au Royal Opera de CoventGarden, au Metropolitan Opera de New York,au Lyric Opera de Chicago, au Canadian Opera,à La Fenice de Venise, au Teatro Liceu deBarcelone, au Bayerische Staatsoper de Munich,au Staatsoper de Vienne, au Teatro Colón deBuenos Aires, à San Francisco, Dallas, Houston,Santa Fe et Washington.Eric Halfvarson s’est produit en concertavec le Chicago Symphony, le San FranciscoSymphony, le St Louis Symphony, le NationalSymphony, le Houston Symphony, le BostonSymphony, le Minnesota Orchestra, le LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra, le Hallé Orchestra,au Concertgebouw d’Amsterdam, au Festivald’Édimbourg, et avec des orchestres à Paris,Séville et Valence.La discographie d’Eric Halfvarson inclutDon Carlos, Billy Budd, Rayok deChostakovitch, et Antony and Cleopatra deSamuel Barber.Née à Dublin, Patricia Bardon étudia avecVeronica Dunne au College of Music deDublin, et attira l’attention du public en5051

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 52devenant la plus jeune lauréate du Concoursinternational de Cardiff. Depuis, elle mèneune importante carrière internationale àl’opéra et en concert.Patricia Bardon a chanté le rôle titre dansTancredi et Arsace (Semiramide) à La Fenice deVenise; le rôle titre dans Carmen au Staatsoperde Hambourg, au Welsh National Opera et auScottish Opera; le rôle titre dans LaCenerentola au Théâtre de La Monnaie deBruxelles et à Lausanne; le rôle titre dansOrlando à New York, Paris, Lyon, et à Anvers;Penelope (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria) auMaggio Musicale de Florence et à Athènes;Cornelia (Giulio Caesare) et Amastris (Serse) auStaatsoper de Munich, à Dresde et àMontpellier; Anna (Les Troyens) au MaggioMusicale; Smeton (Anna Bolena) à SanFrancisco; le rôle titre dans Tamerlano àBeaune; Ursule (Béatrice and Bénédict) àAmsterdam et au Welsh National Opera;Ruggiero (Alcina) à Montpellier; Bradamante(Alcina) à Drottningholm; Rosmira (Partenope)au Lyric Opera de Chicago; des rôles dansGuillaume Tell, Mosè in Egitto, Rigoletto,Mephistofele, et La fanciulla del West au RoyalOpera de Covent Garden, ainsi que denombreux rôles à l’Opera North, au WelshNational Opera et à Glyndebourne.Patricia Bardon possède un répertoire deconcert vaste et varié, et se produit avec denombreux grands orchestres dans des sallestelles que le Lincoln Center de New York, leConcertgebouw d’Amsterdam, la Scala deMilan, le South Bank de Londres, à Berlin,Madrid, Bruxelles, aux BBC Proms deLondres, et au Festival d’Édimbourg. Elle aégalement donné des récitals à Tokyo, Aix-en-Provence, Covent Garden, Montreux etDublin.La discographie de Patricia Bardon inclutOrlando, Elijah, Eugène Onéguine, Serse dansun enregistrement “live” au Staatsoper deMunich, Rigoletto, et pour la série Opera inEnglish de Chandos, le rôle titre dansCarmen.Après avoir terminé ses études, le ténor anglaisKim Begley devint ténor principal au RoyalOpera de Covent Garden, se produisant dansKat’á Kabanová, Palestrina de Pfitzner, BillyBudd et Wozzeck. Il fit également deux débutswagnériens importants à Covent Garden:Siegmund sous la direction de BernardHaitink et Erik sous la direction de SimoneYoung.Depuis le début de sa carrière, Kim Begleyentretient également des liens étroits avec leFestival de Glyndebourne où il a chanté pourla première fois Florestan (Fidelio) ainsi que lesgrands rôles des opéras de Janáček, et àl’English National Opera où il a chanté desrôles principaux dans des opéras de Britten,Janáček, Moussorgski, et dans Parsifal deWagner.Il s’est produit à Franckfort (Lohengrin),Genève (Boris Godounov), Cologne (DasRheingold ), Barcelone (L’Affaire Makropoulos),Lyon (Dr Faustus), Berlin (Der Freischütz),Bruxelles (Khovantchina), Toulouse (DieWalküre, Peter Grimes), Amsterdam (PeterGrimes), à l’Opéra de Paris-Bastille (Aufstiegund Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, Billy Budd, Derfliegende Holländer) et au Châtelet (Fidelio, DrFaustus), à La Scala de Milan (Der Freischütz,Das Rheingold ), et au Staatsoper de Berlin(Der Freischütz). Il a chanté au Lyric Opera deChicago dans L’Affaire Makropoulos, Aufstiegund Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, Billy Budd etDer fliegende Holländer, et a fait ses débuts auMetropolitan Opera de New York dans le rôlede Lača (Jenu°fa). En 2000, Kim Begley fit sesdébuts au Festival de Bayreuth dans le rôle deLoge dans le cycle du Ring sous la direction duregretté Giuseppe Sinopoli.Le répertoire de concert de Kim Begleyinclut le War Requiem de Britten, le Dream ofGerontius d’Elgar, la Neuvième Symphonie etla Missa Solemnis de Beethoven, Das Lied vonder Erde et la Huitième Symphonie de Mahler.Parmi les titres de sa riche discographie, oncitera Falstaff, Salome, Das Rheingold, ainsi queFaustus de Busoni, qui a obtenu un GrammyAward.Peter Wedd étudia à la Guildhall School ofMusic and Drama de Londres avec le regrettéWilliam McAlpine, puis au National OperaStudio. Il fut “Company Principal” de 1999 à2001 au Royal Opera de Covent Garden où ilchanta Ywain (Gawain and the Green Knight)et Kudrjas (Kat’á Kabanová). Il estrégulièrement invité à se produire au WelshNational Opera dans des rôles tels que DonJosé (Carmen), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), DonOttavio (Don Giovanni) et Lača (Jenůfa).Parmi ses autres prestations en Grande-Bretagne et en Irlande, on citera Federico(L’Arlesiana) et Pluto (Orphée aux enfers) àl’Opera Holland Park, Kyska (Šarkatán) etJulius (I cavalieri di Ekebù) au Festival deWexford, Satyavan (Savitri) au Festivald’Aldeburgh. Il remporta un très vif succèsdans le rôle de Rodolfo dans la nouvelleproduction de La Bohème au Royal Albert Hallde Londres. Peter Wedd a chanté Tamino et5253

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 54Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus) avec l’Orchestre dechambre européen, ainsi que Lysander(A Midsummer Night’s Dream) au LyricTheatre de Singapore.Très demandé en concert, il a travaillé avecdes orchestres tels que le LondonPhilharmonic, le Royal Scottish National, leCity of London Sinfonia, le Northern Sinfoniaet le Bournemouth Symphony. Peter Wedds’est produit au Festival de Covent Garden etau Festival d’Édimbourg, en Slovénie auFestival de Maribor, et en Suisse au Festival deCernier.Peter Wedd a enregistré Turandot et Jenůfapour la série Opera in English de Chandos.Durant sa carrière de chanteur, GeoffreyMitchell aborda un répertoireremarquablement varié, depuis la musiqueancienne jusqu’à la musique contemporaine, seproduisant en Scandinavie, en Allemagne,dans l’ancienne Tchécoslovaquie, au Canada eten Australasie. Après avoir fait ses premièresarmes de chef d’orchestre avec la BBC, ildécida de prendre une part active dans cedomaine avec ses propres chanteurs et fonda leGeoffrey Mitchell Choir. Par suite de sespremiers enregistrements l’ensemble travailledepuis longtemps avec Opera Rara pour qui ila réalisé plus de trente enregistrements. CeChœur ne cesse d’élargir sa réputation,travaillant avec la BBC et plusieurs maisons dedisques internationales. Pour Chandos, leGeoffrey Mitchell Choir a participé à plusieursenregistrements pour Opera in English, unesérie de disques très prisés financée par la PeterMoores Foundation.Le London Philharmonic Orchestra est depuislongtemps réputé pour la multiplicité de sestalents et son excellence en matière artistique.Ces qualités se manifestent dans la salle deconcert comme sur la scène lyrique, dans sesnombreux enregistrements primés, ses tournéesinternationales innovatrices et son travaild’avant-garde dans le domaine éducatif. KurtMasur est chef principal de l’Orchestre depuisseptembre 2000. Parmi ses prédecesseurs,depuis la fondation de l’Orchestre en 1932 parSir Thomas Beecham, notons Sir Adrian Boult,Sir John Pritchard, Bernard Haitink, Sir GeorgSolti, Klaus Tennstedt et Franz Welser-Möst.Depuis 1992, le London PhilharmonicOrchestra est orchestre symphonique enrésidence au Royal Festival Hall. Il estégalement orchestre symphonique en résidenceau Glyndebourne Festival Opera depuis trentehuitans.Après avoir étudié avec Sergiu Celibidache,David Parry commença sa carrière commeassistant de Sir John Pritchard. Il fit ses débutsavec l’English Music Theatre avant de devenirl’un des chefs d’orchestre au StädtischeBühnen à Dortmund et à Opera North.Directeur musical d’Opera 80 de 1983 à 1987,il est directeur musical d’Almeida Operadepuis sa fondation en 1992.Sa carrière, nationale et internationale, estextrêmement remplie, aussi bien sur la scènelyrique qu’en concert. Il a dirigé plusieursproductions de l’English National Operaet de l’Opera North et collaborerégulièrement avec le Philharmonia Orchestraet le London Philharmonic Orchestra. C’estavec Così fan tutte qu’il fit ses débuts auFestival de Glyndebourne en 1996, unescène qu’il retrouva en 1998 pour dirigerla création mondiale de Flight de JonathanDove.Il séjourne fréquemment en Espagne où il adirigé en concert la plupart des grandsorchestres espagnols. C’est lui qui dirigea lapremière espagnole de Peter Grimes à Madridet en 1996 la première production espagnolede The Rake’s Progress. Il a dirigé en Allemagne,en Suisse, aux Pays-Bas, au Festival de Pesaroen Italie, au Festival international de Hong-Kong, au Japon pour une tournée de Carmenet au Mexique avec l’Orchestre symphoniqued’UNAM. Il a récemment dirigé plusieursnouvelles productions dont Fidelio au Festivalde Nouvelle-Zélande, Lucia di Lammermooravec le New Israeli Opera et Don Giovanni al’Opéra d’état de Hannover.En studio, il a participé entre autresà la production de la BBC Television deDer Vampyr de Marschner, dirigeant aussivingt-huit intégrales d’opéras financées par laPeter Moores Foundation. Plusieurs de cesintégrales furent enregistrées pour Opera Raraet primées, Rosmonda d’Inghilterra deDonizetti recevant en Belgique le Prix Cecilia.Pour Chandos, David Parry a dirigé une séried’enregistrements d’airs d’opéra (avec BruceFord, Diana Montague, Dennis O’Neill,Alastair Miles, Yvonne Kenny, JohnTomlinson, Della Jones et Andrew Shore)de même que The Marriage of Figaro,A Masked Ball, Don Giovanni, Don Pasquale,L’elisir d’amore, Lucia di Lammermoor, Ernani,Il trovatore, Aida, Faust, Cavalleria rusticana,Pagliacci, La bohème, Turandot,l’enregistrement primé de Tosca et des extraitsde Der Rosenkavalier, tous ces enregistrementsétant réalisés en collaboration avec la PeterMoores Foundation.5455

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 56Nel dicembre del 1842 un giornale d’artelocale riferiva dei preparativi per una nuovaopera presso l’Opera della Corte sassone diDresda. “Si svolgono alacremente le prove perl’allestimento della seconda opera di RichardWagner, che è diventato famoso da un giornoall’altro con il suo Rienzi… si intitolaL’Olandese volante, e Wagner ha utilizzato lastoria fantastica di Heine, abbinandola allanarrativa inglese e ad alcune aggiunte proprie.”La “storia fantastica” era stata creata dalpoeta tedesco Heinrich Heine, chi avevaun’affezionatamente ossessionato da tuttoquello che era olandese. Nell’opera di HeineDalle memorie di Herr von Schnabelewopski(1834) il viaggiatore protagonista scopre laleggenda dell’Olandese in un lavoro teatrale adAmsterdam: “Tutti conosceranno la storia diquella nave segnata dal destino che non puòmai entrare nel riparo di un porto e che vagasui mari da tempo immemorabile. Quellaterribile nave portava il nome del suocapitano, un Olandese che un tempo avevagiurato per tutti i diavoli che avrebbe doppiatoun capo o l’altro, a dispetto della violentissimatempesta che infuriava, anche se avesse dovutoCome Wagner scoprì l’Olandese volantecontinuare a navigare fino al Giorno delGiudizio.”Se la leggenda dell’Olandese Volante ha unabase nei fatti, sicuramente si sviluppò daglieventi nella rivalità commerciale angloolandesee nelle guerre del XVII e XVIIIsecolo, periodo durante il quale i mercantiolandesi doppiavano regolarmente il Capo diBuona Speranza del Sudafrica. (Recentementeun documentario televisivo olandese si èaddirittura chiesto se l’espressione “VliegendeHollaender” fosse la corruzione del nome“Vergulde Vlamingh” (“Fiammingo dorato”),un inflessibile capitano di mare olandese diquell’epoca.) E nella letteratura inglese eamericana il decennio del 1790 vide lacomparsa di un fiume di poesie e storie sultema di un marinaio maledetto in un viaggioeterno. The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner diSamuel Coleridge Taylor, Rokeby di Sir WalterScott, The Red Rover di James FenimoreCooper e The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pymdi Edgar Alan Poe sono forse i migliori esempidi quello che il corrispondente di Dresda avevagiustamente definito le “storie inglesi” dellaleggenda.All’inizio il dramma a cui assiste l’eroe diHeine sembra una diretta narrazione dellaleggenda, ma poi fornisce una via di uscita perl’Olandese maledetto: “Il diavolo prese inparola il capitano della nave che è costretto avagare sui mari fino al giorno del giudizio, ameno che non venga salvato dalla devozione diuna donna. Nella sua stupidità il diavolo noncrede nella devozione della donna e cosìconcesse al capitano maledetto di sbarcare sullaterraferma una volta ogni sette anni, persposarsi e in quel modo cercare la propriasalvezza.” Così lo Schnabelewopski di Heinepuò vedere la “moglie” dell’Olandese Volantebuttarsi da uno scoglio e in conseguenza di ciò“la maledizione viene annullata, l’Olandese èsalvo e vediamo la nave spettrale affondarenelle profondità dell’oceano”.Heine desiderava che questo nuovo colpo discena nella conclusione fosseun’interpretazione-burla di quella checonsiderava una storia di fantasmisentimentale e romantica. “La morale diquesto lavoro, per quanto riguarda le donne”,conclude, “è che devono guardarsi bene dallosposare un Olandese Volante; e noi uominidovremmo trarre da questo la lezione che nelmigliore dei casi le donne saranno la nostrarovina.” Ma Wagner prese la possibilità dellasalvezza dell’Olandese molto sul serio e scrissein un appunto autobiografico: “Il trattamentodrammatico di Heine è di sua invezione –della redenzione del suo Ahasuerus (l’Ebreoerrante) del mare mi ha datto tutto quello chemi serviva per utilizzare la leggenda per unsoggetto operistico. Sono arrivato a un accordocon lo stesso Heine…”Wagner aveva conosciuto Heine a Parigi; eraun altro intellettuale tedesco esiliato che gli fubrevemente amico durante il periodo in cui, acorto di quattrini, (nonostante una lettera dipresentazione del potente e affermatoMeyerbeer) il compositore non riuscì a farsi unnome nella capitale francese. Dopo la loroconversazione un amico comune disse diWagner: “Da un individuo così pieno dicultura moderna è possible attendersi losviluppo di una solida e potente musicamoderna.” Le prime note di una “solida epotente musica moderna” si fecero certamenteudire nella partitura dell’Olandese, doveWagner per la prima volta introdusse l’artedella caratterizzazione attraverso il linguaggioarmonico oltre che attraverso il colore, il ritmoe il tempo; un cromatismo drammatico,moderno per l’Olandese, Senta, suatormentata salvatrice futura, e un diatonismodi vecchio stile, da grand opéra, per la5657

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 58domesticità borghese di Daland, Mary e lefilatrici. Quando Wagner avviò lacomposizione della nuova opera a Parigi,sperava di poter avere una buona audizionecon alcuni dei suoi brani alla famosa Opéra.Alla fine sarebbe riuscito a ottenere solo unmagro compenso vendendo il canovacciodell’opera alla direzione del teatro.La storia di Heine, il suo incontro conl’autore e la vita di un artista in difficoltàeconomiche a Parigi furono sproni importantiper il progetto wagneriano dell’Olandese, maun elemento autobiografico della storia sicollega anche alla località in cui si svolge lastoria. Se Wagner lesse la storia di Heinedurante il periodo in cui fu direttore musicalea Riga, avrà avuto fresco nella memoria ilviaggio interrotto per mare che fece dallaRussia alla Francia nell’estate del 1839. Questoviaggio lo aveva portato quasi letteralmentesulla riva della costa norvegese meridionaleproprio nel punto in cui avrebbe finalmenteambientato la sua storia (Sandvika sull’isola diBorøya). Sebbene la ricerca locale norvegese sisia successivamente affannata a rintracciareogni particolare dei due giorni del soggiornodi Wagner e a trovare i suoi equivalenti nellibretto dell’Olandese, attualmente si può direcon sicurezza solo che la Thetis (la sua nave) fucostretta a fare appunto tappa a Borøya a causadi una feroce tempesta quello giuglio e che lescogliere di granito dell’isola creano una paretedi echi che potrebbe avere ispirato i richiamidel coro dei marinai nella prima scenadell’opera.Tuttavia l’importanza della Norvegia perl’opera andava ben oltre le influenze letterali.Ancora a poche settimane di distanza dallaprima dell’Olandese, nel gennaio 1843, lavicenda era ambientata in Scozia (l’Atto I sisvolgeva a “Holystrand”, Senta si chiamavaAnna, suo padre era Donald o solo “loscozzese”, ed Erik era Georg). Questo nascevapresumibilmente dal fatto che non solo lastoria di Heine, ma anche una storia d’orroretedesca di successo dell’epoca nota a Wagner,intitolata The Cave at Steenfoll e un popolaremusical contemporaneo (probabilmente noto aHeine) dal titolo L’Olandese volante, o IlVascello fantasma erano tutti ambientati inScozia, la remota e mitica terra di grotte, relittie spettri marini. Poi (sembra) Wagner cambiòidea all’improvviso e trasferì la storia inNorvegia. Perché? Forse perché venne a sapereche a Parigi aveva appena aperto un’opera,ispirata (non molto da vicino) al canovacciodell’Olandese da lui venduto all’Opéra evoleva prendere le distanze da quel progettocon il suo originale. O forse voleva annacquarela questione del suo debito con Heine.(Trent’anni dopo, quando riscrisse le suememorie, Wagner avrebbe sostenuto che “iltrattamento di Heine era preso a prestito dauna commedia olandese con lo stesso titolo”,dimenticando la redenzione conclusiva cheera stata un’invenzione originale del poeta).O forse perché concordava con l’idea chestava prendendo forma nella sua mente,secondo cui nella vita di un vero artista lacreazione di un’opera deve essere semprecollegata ad eventi “reali”. In seguito Wagnersostenne che la sua “opera romantica” del 1843era il vero punto di inizio della propria carrieradi poeta e drammaturgo musicale, unaconvenzione sposata dal Festival di Bayreuthche ha sempre declinato di allestire le sueprime opere.Sebbene alla sua prima di Dresda l’Olandeselasciasse un segno più debole rispetto alsuccesso precedente, il lungo, vistoso e piùconvenzionale Rienzi, la riuscita della nuovaopera fu garantita dal fatto che Wagnerfinalmente aveva messo le mani su unargomento veramente popolare. Al di là delleopere degli autori citati sopra, nei primidecenni del diciottesimo secolo esistevano dueromanzi inglesi che ebbero vasta diffusione (efurono tradotti): Vanderdecken’s Message Homedi John Howison (il primo testo che avrebbedato il nome allo spettrale capitano) eThe Phantom Ship di Frederick Marryat (checontiene una redenzione finale e lanciò unamini mania dell’Olandese volante in Olanda) –e una serie di lavori teatrali olandesi originali otradotti (che Heine potrebbe aver vistodurante le sue regolari visite in quell Paese).Non è un caso inoltre che i primi racconti divampiri di Polidori e Byron, e Frankenstein diMary Shelley siano esatti contemporanei diqueste storie di spettri marittimi dell’Olandese.Entrambi i filoni utilizzano l’idea del nonmortoo di personaggi che non possono morirefinchè qualche delitto o peccato commesso nelpassato non venga formalmente espiato. Comescrisse nelle sue memorie Edward Fitzball,autore del musical Phantom Ship: “Questo tipodi dramma allora era molto in voga el’Olandese volante non era da meno diFrankenstein o Der Freischütz per quantoriguarda orrori e luci spettrali.”Il libretto scritto dallo stesso Wagnerattingeva a caratteristiche comuni a molteversioni della storia del vascello fantasma: iltentativo da parte dell’equipaggio di spettri difare recapitare a casa lettere indirizzate adestinatari che si rivelano morti da tempo5859

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 60(deriso dai marinai norvegesi nella scena delmolo), le magiche proprietà di navigazionedella nave stregata dell’Olandese (sottolineatedallo stesso Olandese nella scena di Sandwike),e il vecchio ritratto di famiglia dell’Olandesestesso (sempre presente durante l’azione in casadi Daland). Con una svolta significativa nellasua creazione di una forma operistica parallelaall’utilizzo di diverse lingue armoniche persottolineare la caratterizzazione, Wagner riuscìad abbinare e mescolare le influenze e iriferimenti delle sue letture con un intuito daromanziere. Gli esperimenti scientifici quasicontemporanei di Mesmer con il magnetismoe il fascino romantico dell’epoca per i sogni ele trance, trovano un posto nel suo librettonell’ossessione di Senta per il ritrattodell’Olandese e la sua immediataidentificazione per il sogno in cui Erik predicelo svolgimento successivo dell’opera. Andandoben oltre la semplice idea del dono di una vitaper salvarne un’altra proposta dal momentoculminante della storia di Heine, Wagnergiunse a una percezione psicoanalitica delnucleo centrale della leggenda dell’Olandese.La sua storia diventa un processo direintegrazione in cui il sognatore (il marinaiomaledetto) deve essere riportato al suooriginale, “giusto” stato mentale precedente ilsuo folle atto di arroganza (il giuramento didoppiare il capo a tutti i costi). Questo si puòottenere solo quando un essere umano dellavita “normale” riesce a comprenderepienamente e provare compassione per l’azionee la sofferenza del sognatore.Wagner introduce inoltre influenze da fontimeno specifiche. I tentativi frustrati di suicidiodi Ahasuerus nei poemi epici di NicholasLenau sull’Ebreo errante suggerivano ilfallimento dell’Olandese (come si narra nelmonologo di apertura) di fare incagliare lapropria nave o farsi uccidere dai pirati. Lacollocazione e il contenuto della Ballata diSenta – parte della prima musica per l’operacomposta a Parigi ñ devono molto alla Ballatadell’eroina de La dama bianca di Boieldieu, ilcui secondo atto addirittura inizia con unascena di tessitura. Marschner, uncontemporaneo di cui Wagner conobbe ediresse le partiture, ambientò il suo Vampiro inScozia. Include una ballata cantata da unaragazza del posto sulla leggenda del vampiroche descrive l’antieroe con la stessa fraseutilizzata da Senta per l’Olandese, “denbleichen Mann” (“l’uomo pallido”, chenormalmente contrassegna il non-mortooggetto di desiderio sessuale nella letteraturadell’Ottocento).Utilizzando fino in fondo le sue vaste letture ele sue conoscenze musicali, Wagner riuscì nonsolo a fare del suo Olandese un classico di quelloche divenne noto come genere Schauerromantik(“romantico dell’orrore”) ma a superare i suoirivali, come l’Amleto di Shakespeare aveva fattoper la tragedia giacobita e la Tosca di Pucciniavrebbe fatto per l’opera del verismo. Con ilprogredire della sua carriera, Wagner feceaffettuosamente ritorno alla partituradell’Olandese ma, quando ne dirigevapersonalmente le esecuzioni, mai senza apportarequalche cambiamento. Prima addolcì lachiassosità di alcune sezioni della partituraoriginale, soprattutto per gli ottoni. (HectorBerlioz, in una recensione generalmentefavorevole di una delle prime esecuzioni aDresda aveva criticato la dipendenza dagli effettidi tremolo e dalle settime diminuite.) Poimodificò la conclusione sia dell’ouverture siadell’opera alla luce della sua “nuova” musica ditrasformazione nello stile del Tristano,presentando una illustrazione musicalepiù chiara della conclusione redentrice dellastoria. Infine, mentre lavorava a un allestimento“modello” per re Ludwig II a Monaco, pensò diriscrivere completamente la Ballata di Senta,senza riuscire però ad andare oltre a un primoabbozzo.Lo stesso Wagner non riuscì mai a realizzarequello che sembra fosse il suo ideale dipresentare l’opera in un solo atto. Vieneeseguita così nella presente registrazione, cheinclude inoltre tutte le modifiche completatedal compositore per la partitura durante tuttala sua vita.© 2004 Mike AshmanLa leggenda dell’Olandese volanteIl capitano di mare olandese di una navemercantile, colto da una terribile tempestamentre cercava di doppiare il capo di BuonaSperanza, giurò che ci sarebbe riuscitoanche se avesse dovuto farlo fino al giorno delGiudizio. Udita la bestemmia, Satanacondannò lui e il suo equipaggio anavigare per l’eternità. All’Olandese fuconcessa una possibilità di redenzione:avrebbe potuto lasciare la sua nave unavolta ogni sette anni per cercare unadonna che lo amasse e gli rimanesse fedelefino alla morte. Solo questa fedeltà avrebbepotuto vincere la maledizione. Sonopassati altri sette anni e l’Olandese ritornasulla terraferma per cercare ancora una voltauna donna che lo salvi dal suo destinoinfinito.6061

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 62ArgomentoCOMPACT DISC ONEL’azione è ambientata sulla costa norvegese.Scena 11 – 2La nave di Daland, ormai quasi inporto, è costretta a gettare l’ancora a settemiglia di distanza lungo la costa per ripararsida una violenta tempesta. L’uomo pensa allafiglia, Senta. L’equipaggio sfinito ben presto siaddormenta, compreso il Timoniere cheDaland ha messo di sentinella.3Compare una seconda nave, quelladell’Olandese volante. L’Olandese racconta diaver cercato di porre fine alla sua vita di eternotormento annegandosi, incagliando la sua navee combattendo con i pirati. Tutto è stato vano.4Riappare Daland sul ponte e rimproverail Timoniere che non ha fatto da sentinella.Vedono la nave dell’Olandese e Daland si offredi ospitarlo. L’Olandese sale sulla nave diDaland e gli offre molte ricchezze in cambio diuna notte di ospitalità e anche la possibilità diun matrimonio con Senta, la figlia di Daland.Il vento cambia ed entrambe le navi possonoprocedere verso il porto della patria diDaland.Scena 25Sotto la supervisione della governante diDaland, Mary, le donne lavorano nella casa diDaland mentre gli uomini sono in mareCOMPACT DISC TWO1Senta è turbata dal leggendario Olandese eracconta la sua storia alle sue compagne;annuncia che proprio lei è la donna che losalverà con il suo amore.Senta è promessa al cacciatore Erik, chel’ama dall’infanzia.2Entra Erik,profondamente turbato dall’ossessione di Sentaper la leggenda dell’Olandese; le racconta unsuo sogno in cui ha visto Daland tornare acasa accompagnato dall’Olandese, dopo di chelei era partita in mare con lui. Questo servesolo a intensificare le preoccupazioni delladonna ed Erik esce disperato.3 – 4Arriva Daland con l’Olandese.Senta lo riconosce subito e,5 – 6rimastasola con lui, gli rivela che è lei la donna tantocercata che lo salverà.Scena 37Mentre l’equipaggio di Daland festeggia ilritorno a casa, quello dell’Olandese rimanesilenzioso e addirittura rifiuta l’offerta di ciboe bevande. I Norvegesi rimangono a disagio difronte al silenzio dell’altro equipaggio.Quando gli altri finalmente reagiscono, lofanno con un canto che fa fuggire i Norvegesi,terrorizzati.8 – 9Erik supplica Senta di mantenere lepromesse della loro infanzia.10L’Olandeseper caso ascolta la conversazione e, nonostantele assicurazioni di Senta, pensa di essere statotradito: la sua unica speranza di redenzione èperduta. Si avvia verso la sua nave e mentre siallontana, Senta si sacrifica. L’Olandese è cosìredento.Traduzione: Emanuela GuastellaJohn Tomlinson è nato nel Lancashire. Haconseguito la laurea in Ingegneria civile pressol’Università di Manchester prima di vincereuna borsa di studio per il Royal ManchesterCollege of Music (oggi Royal NorthernCollege of Music).John Tomlinson canta regolarmente con laEnglish National Opera dal 1974, e con laRoyal Opera, Covent Garden, dal 1977.Inoltre è comparso con Opera North, ScottishOpera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera eGlyndebourne Touring Opera e Kent Opera.Dal 1988 partecipa ogni anno al festival diBayreuth, dove è stato applaudito nelle vesti diWotan (Das Rhinegold e Die Walküre), ilViandante (Siegfried ), Titurel e Gurnemanz(Parsifal ), Mark (Tristan und Isolde), Heinrich(Lohengrin) e Hagen (Götterdämmerung).Gli impegni all’estero lo ganno portato aGinevra, Lisbona, New York, Chicago, SanFrancisco, San Diego, Parigi, Amsterdam,Berlino (Deutsche Oper e DeutscheStaatsoper), Dresda, Monaco e Vienna, aifestival di Orange, Aix-en-Provence,Salisburgo, Edimburgo e al Maggio Musicalefiorentino. Il suo repertorio inoltre includeHans Sachs (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg),Landgraf (Tannhäuser), il ruolo di protagonistain Der fliegende Holländer (L’Olandese volante),il Barone Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier), Orestes(Elektra), Moses (Moses und Aron), GreenKnight nella prima mondiale di Gawain andthe Green Knight di Harrison Birtwistle, Rocco(Fidelio), re Filippo (Don Carlos), Sarastro (DieZauberflöte), il Commendatore (DonGiovanni), i quattro ruoli di Lindorf,Coppelius, Dr Miracle e Dapertutto neiContes d’Hoffmann, Golaud e Arkel (Pelléaset Mélisande), Boromeo (Palestrina), Dosifey(Kovanchina) e i ruoli di protagonista in BorisGodunov, Oberto e Attila.John Tomlinson ha un ricco repertorio6263

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 64concertistico e ha cantato con le principaliorchestre britanniche oltre che in Germania,Italia, Belgio, Olanda, Francia, Spagna,Danimarca e USA. La sua ricca discografiacomprende Gabriella di Vergy di Donizetti perOpera Rara, e per la serie Opera in English diChandos, Julius Caesar, Mary Stuart, Rigoletto,Werther, dischi di momenti salienti da BorisGodunov e Der Rosenkavalier, e due dischi diarie (Great Operatic Arias).John Tomlinson ha ricevuto l’onorificenzadi Commander of the British Empire (CBE)nel 1997.Nata a Stoccolma, Nina Stemme ha studiatoviola presso la Scuola musicale Adolf Fredrik.Ha studiato amministrazione aziendale edeconomia a Stoccolma, frequentando allo stessotempo un corso presso l’Opera Studio diStoccolma e completando gli studi di canto alNational College of Opera di Stoccolma. È statafinalista al concorso Cardiff Singer of theWorld e vincitrice dei concorsi di PlacidoDomingo.Nel 1995 entrava all’Opera di Colonia doveha interpretato, tra l’altro, Pamina (DieZauberflöte), la Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro),Mimì (La Bohème) e Agathe (Der Freischütz).È stata ospite all’Opera De Vlaamse nelle vestidi Elisabeth (Tannhäuser); ad Amburgo inquelle di Freia e Gutrune nel ciclo del Ringwagneriano; a Göteborg nelle vesti di Tosca;ha cantato la Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro) aDresda; Katerina (Greek Passion) al Festival diBregenz; Suor Angelica (Il trittico) a Coloniaed Elsa (Lohengrin) a Basilea.Altri ruoli importanti comprendono Sentaalla Metropolitan Opera, alla Wiener Staatsopere all’Opera De Vlaamse; Marguerite (Faust) edElisabeth (Tannhäuser) al Festival di Savonlinna;Manon Lescaut alla English National Opera;Tatjana (Eugenio Onieghin) al Teatro LaMonnaie di Bruxelles; Katerina (Lady Macbethdel distretto di Mzensk) all’Opera di Ginevra;Sieglinde (Die Walküre) a Colonia, Nyssia(König Kandaules) al Festival di Salisburgo;Isolde (Tristan und Isolde) al Festival diGlyndebourne e alla Royal Opera di Stoccolma;la Marescialla (Der Rosenkavalier) all’Opera diGöteborg, e Marie (Wozzeck) all’Opéra Nationalde Lyon.Le apparizioni in concerto comprendono lanona Sinfonia di Beethoven, Vier letzte Liederdi Strauss e la scena finale dal Capriccio diStrauss con direttori come Roberto Abbado eAntonio Pappano.Il basso Eric Halfvarson, nato nell’Illinois,canta regolarmente con le compagnieoperistiche e le orchestre sinfoniche piùprestigiose del mondo. Ha propostointerpretazioni formidabili di ruoli diversi edifficili quali il barone Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier),Hagen (Götterdämmerung),Claggart (BillyBudd ), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), re Filippo el’Inquisitore (Don Carlos), Heinrich (Lohengrin),Hunding (Die Walküre) e Mefistofele (Faust) concompagnie quali l’Opéra de Paris-Bastille, ilFestival di Bayreuth, la Royal Opera, laMetropolitan Opera di New York, la LyricOpera di Chicago, la Canadian Opera, LaFenice di Venezia, il Teatro del Liceu diBarcellona, L’Opera di Monaco, la Staatsoper diVienna e il Teatro Colón di Buenos Aires, oltreche nei teatri lirici di San Francisco, Dallas,Houston, Santa Fe e Washington.È comparso in concerto con le orchestresinfoniche di Chicago, San Francisco, StLouis, Houston, Boston, la NationalSymphony, l’Orchestra del Minnesota, laLondon Philharmonic Orchestra, la HalleOrchestra, al Concertgebouw di Amsterdam eal Festival di Edimburgo oltre che conorchestre di Parigi, Siviglia e Valencia.La discografia di Eric Halfvarsoncomprende Don Carlos, Billy Budd, Rayokdi Šostakovič e Antony and Cleopatra diBarber.Nata a Dublino, Patricia Bardon ha studiatocon la Dássa Veronica Dunne presso il Collegeof Music e si è messa in luce come al concorsoCardiff Singer of the World, di cui è stata lapiù giovane vincitrice. Da allora si è affermataa livello internazionale per le sueinterpretazioni in teatro e in concerto.Le sue numerose apparizioni teatralicomprendono il ruolo di protagonista inTancredi e Arsace (Semiramide) alla Fenice diVenezia, il ruolo di protagonista in Carmenalla Staatsoper di Amburgo, Welsh NationalOpera e Scottish Opera; il ruolo diprotagonista nella Cenerentola al Teatro LaMonnaie e a Losanna; il ruolo di protagonistain Orlando a New York, Parigi, Lione eAnversa; Penelope (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria)al Maggio Musicale e ad Atene; Cornelia(Giulio Caesare) e Amastris (Serse) allaStaatsoper di Monaco, a Dresda e Montpellier;Anna (Les Troyens) al Maggio Musicale;Smeton (Anna Bolena) a San Francisco; ilruolo principale nel Tamerlano a Beaune;Ursule (Beatrice and Benedict) ad Amsterdam eper la Welsh National Opera; Ruggiero(Alcina) a Montpellier; Bradamante (Alcina) aDrottningholm; Rosmira (Partenope) con laLyric Opera di Chicago; ha cantato nel6465

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 66Guillaume Tell, Mosè in Egitto, Rigoletto,Mefistofele e La fanciulla del West alla RoyalOpera House, oltre a interpretare numerosiruoli per Opera North, Welsh National Operae Glyndebourne.Patricia Bardon ha un ampio e variorepertorio concertistico e lavora con molteorchestre importanti in auditori tra cui ilLincoln Center, il Concertgebouw, La Scala, ilcomplesso londinese del South Bank, Berlino,Madrid, Bruxelles, i Prom, il Festival diEdimburgo. Inoltre ha dato recital a Tokyo,Aix-en-Provence, Covent Garden, Montreux,Dublino.La discografia comprende Orlando, Elijah,Eugenio Onieghin, Serse in una registrazionedal vivo dalla Staatsoper di Monaco, Rigolettoe, nell’ambito della serie Opera in English diChandos, il ruolo di protagonista inCarmen.Dopo aver completato gli studi, il tenorebritannico Kim Begley entrava alla RoyalOpera House, Covent Garden come tenoresolista e qui compariva in Katá Kabanova,Palestrina di Pfitzner, Billy Budd e Wozzeck.Il Covent Garden è stato anche il teatro di duedei suoi principali debutti wagneriani:Siegmund diretto da Bernard Haitink, ed Erikdiretto da Simone Young,.Durante tutta la sua carriera, Kim Begley haavuto un rapporto continuo con ilGlyndebourne Festival e la English NationalOpera. I principali ruoli operistici di Janáček,molto importanti nella sua carriera, sono statieseguiti per la prima volta a Glyndebourne, cheha visto anche il suo primo Florestano (Fidelio).Per English National Opera ha interpretatoimportanti ruoli di Britten, Janáček eMussorgsky oltre al Parsifal di Wagner.Si è esibito nei teatri lirici di Francoforte(Lohengrin), Ginevra (Boris Godunov), Colonia(Das Rheingold ), Barcellona (L’AffaireMakropoulos), Lione (Dr Faustus), Berlino(Der Freischütz), Bruxelles (Khovanchina),Toulouse (Die Walküre, Peter Grimes), oltre chead Amsterdam (Peter Grimes), a Parigia neiteatri Bastille (Mahagonny, Billy Budd,L’Olandese volante) e Châtelet (Fidelio,Dr Faustus), alla Scala di Milano (DerFreischütz, Das Rheingold ) e allla Staatsoper diBerlino (Der Freischütz). Alla Lyric Opera diChicago ha interpetato L’Affaire Makropoulos,Mahagonny, Billy Budd e L’Olandese Volante, eha esordito alla Metropolitan Opera nelle vestidi Lača ( Jenu°fa). Nel 2000 Kim Begleyesordiva al Festival di Bayreuth nel ruolo diLoge nel ciclo del Ring, diretto dal compiantoGiuseppe Sinopoli.Versatile interprete concertistico, KimBegley ha un repertorio che comprende il WarRequiem di Britten, The Dream of Gerontius diElgar, la Sinfonia N. 9 e Missa Solemnis diBeethoven, e Das Lied von der Erde e laSinfonia N. 8 di Mahler. La sua riccadiscografia comprende Falstaff, Salome,Das Rheingold e il Dr Faustus di Busoni che haricevuto un premio Grammy.Peter Wedd ha studiato presso la GuildhallSchool of Music and Drama con il compiantoWilliam McAlpine e successivamente presso ilNational Opera Studio. È stato solista dellaRoyal Opera, Covent Garden dal 1999 al 2001ed è regolarmente ospite della Welsh NationalOpera. Come solista della Royal Opera hacantato Ywain (Gawain and the Green Knight) eKudrjas (Kat’á Kabanová). Alla Welsh NationalOpera i suoi ruoli hann compreso Don José(Carmen), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), DonOttavio (Don Giovanni) e Lača (Jenůfa).Altre apparizioni nel Regno Unito e inIrlanda hanno compreso Federico (L’Arlesiana)e Pluto (Orphée aux enfers) per Opera HollandPark, Kyska (Šarkatán) e Julius (I cavalieri diEkebù) al Wexford Festival, e Satyavan (Savitri)al Festival di Aldeburgh e ha riscosso grandesuccesso nel ruolo di Rodolfo in un nuovoallestimento della Bohème alla Royal AlbertHall di Londra. Peter Wedd ha cantatoTamino e Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus) per laEuropean Chamber Opera oltre a Lysander(A Midsummer Night’s Dream) per il LyricTheatre di Singapore.È molto richiesto nei concerti e ha lavoratotra l’altro con la London Philharmonic, laRoyal Scottish National, City of LondonSinfonia, la Northern Sinfonia e laBournemouth Symphony. Peter Wedd hapartecipato ai Festival del Covent Garden e diEdimburgo e all estero al Maribor Festival inSlovenia e al Cernier Festival in Svizzera.La discografia per la serie Opera in Englishdi Chandos comprende Turandot e Jenůfa.La carriera di cantante di Geoffrey Mitchellracchiude un repertorio notevole che spaziadalla musica antica a quella contemporanea eche l’ha portato in Scandinavia, Germania,nella ex Cecoslovacchia, in Canada eAustralasia. L’esperienza di direzione degli inizicon la BBC lo ha condotto ad un maggiorecoinvolgimento con i suoi stessi cantanti einoltre alla creazione del Geoffrey MitchellChoir. Le prime registrazioni sono sfociate nelcoinvolgimento a lungo termine del Coro con6667

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 68Opera Rara, per la quale ha inciso più ditrenta registrazioni. Il Coro gode di una famasempre maggiore con ulteriore lavoro dallaBBC e da case discografiche internazionali. Perla Chandos il Geoffrey Mitchell Choir hapartecipato a numerose registrazioni nelleapplaudite serie di Opera in English con ilpatrocinio della Peter Moores Foundation.La London Philharmonic Orchestra è datempo apprezzata per la sua versatilità el’altissima levatura artistica. Queste qualitàsono evidenti nelle sale da concerto e nei teatri,nella ricca discografia pluripremiata, nellebrillanti tournée internazionali e nelle iniziativeavanzate svolte nel settore dell’istruzione. KurtMasur è Direttore stabile dell’orchestra dalsettembre del 2000. Tra i suoi predecessori dal1932, anno in cui sir Thomas Beechamfondava l’orchestra, vanno ricordati sir AdrianBoult, sir John Pritchard, Bernard Haitink, sirGeorg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt e Franz Welser-Möst. Dal 1992 la London Philharmonic èl’orchestra residente della Royal Festival Hall.Inoltre è l’orchestra sinfonica residente dellaGlyndebourne Festival Opera da 38 anni.David Parry ha studiato con SergiuCelibidache ed ha cominciato la sua carrieracome assistente di Sir John Pritchard. Hadebuttato all’English Music Theatre, quindi èdiventato direttore d’orchestra presso laStädtische Bühnen di Dortmund e la OperaNorth. È stato Direttore Musicale diOpera 80 dal 1983 al 1987 e dal 1992 è statoDirettore Musicale fondatore dell’Opera diAlmeida.Lavora copiosamente in opere e concerti, alivello nazionale ed internazionale. Ha direttodiverse produzioni presso la English NationalOpera e la Opera North e appare regolarmentecon la Philharmonia Orchestra e la LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra. Nel 1996 hadebuttato con Così fan tutte al GlyndebourneFestival, dove nel 1998 ha diretto la primamondiale di Flight di Jonathan Dove.È un frequente visitatore della Spagna dovesi è esibito in concerto con la maggior partedelle maggiori orchestre spagnole. Ha direttola prima spagnola di Peter Grimes a Madrid enel 1996 la prima produzione spagnola diThe Rake’s Progress. È apparso in Germania,Svizzera, Paesi Bassi, al Festival di Pesaro inItalia, al Festival Internazionale di Hong Kong,in Giappone con una tournée della Carmen ein Messico con la UNAM SymphonyOrchestra. Recenti nuove produzioni da luidirette comprendono il Fidelio al Festival dellaNuova Zelanda, Lucia di Lammermoor allaNew Israeli Opera e Don Giovanni allaStaatsoper di Hannover.Il suo lavoro in studio di registrazionecomprende la produzione della BBC diDer Vampyr di Marschner nonché ventottoregistrazioni operistiche complete con ilpatrocinio della Peter Moores Foundation. Traquesti vi sono numerosi dischi per l’etichettaOpera Rara che hanno vinti parecchi premi,tra cui il belga Prix Cecilia per la Rosmondad’Inghilterra di Donizetti. Per Chandos hadiretto una serie di registrazioni di arie d’opera(con Bruce Ford, Diana Montague, DennisO’Neill, Alastair Miles, Yvonne Kenny, JohnTomlinson, Della Jones e Andrew Shore),nonché The Marriage of Figaro, A Masked Ball,Idomeneo, Carmen, The Thieving Magpie,Don Giovanni, Don Pasquale, The Elixir ofLove, Lucia of Lammermoor, Ernani,Il trovatore, Aida, Faust, Cavalleria rusticana,Pagliacci, La bohème, Turandot, Tosca(vincitrice di un premio) e brani scelti daDer Rosenkavalier, tutte in collaborazione conla Peter Moores Foundation.6869

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CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 7612COMPACT DISC ONEOvertureScene 1A steep rocky shore. The greater part of the stage istaken up by a wide expanse of sea. Terrible weatherwith a violent storm. Daland’s ship has justdropped anchor close to the shore; the sailors arecalling to each other at their work of furling thesails, throwing out the ropes, etc. Daland has goneashore. He is climbing onto a rock from where hecan look inland and establish his location.No. l: IntroductionSailors (as they work)Hoyohey! Halloyo! Ho! Hey! Hey! Ya!Hallohey!Daland (coming down from the rock)I thought so! Seven miles at mostthe storm has dragged us down the coast.And when we thought the worst was past,Fate saved one blow until the last!Steersman (from the deck, calling through cuppedhands)Ho! Captain!DalandIs all secure on board?SteersmanYes, all is well! The anchor’s holding fast.DalandI know this bay; I’ve sailed here all my life. I’mcursed!There stands the house I know so well,Senta, my child, looks out for my arrival;then up this blows from out the pit of hell!To trust a wind is to trust in the Devil!(going on board )We’ll rest… and wait. Just let it blow.Such savage fury can’t endure.(on board )Hey, sailors! Take yourselves belowand get some rest. All’s well I’m sure.(The sailors go below.)Now, Steersman, you’ll have to keep awake andwatch.The danger’s past, but stay here just in case.SteersmanI’ll do my best! Sleep soundly down below!(Daland goes down into the cabin. The steersmanremains alone on deck. The storm has somewhatsubsided and returns only at intervals; out at seathe waves are tossing high. The steersman walksround the deck once, and then sits down near thewheel. He yawns, then rouses himself as he is.)SongSteersmanThrough the rumble and roar of southern stormsmy true love, I am near.Over towering seas my ship is borne,my true love, I am here.But should the south wind blow no more,I’ll never come home to you:oh, gentle south wind, find that shorewhere my love is ever true!Ho, hoyo! Hallohoho, yoloho, ho, ho!(A wave strikes and shakes the ship violently. TheSteersman starts up, and looks about him. Satisfiedthat no harm has been done, he sits down againand sings, while drowsiness gradually overpowershim.)On those southerly shores in distant lands,my love, I thought of you!Through the thundering waves of Moorishstrands,a gift I brought for you!My true love, sing the south wind’s song;it brings you a golden band.Oh, south wind, carry me along,to place it upon her hand! Hohoyeh! Hollaho!(He struggles against fatigue, and at last fallsasleep. The storm again begins to rage violently,andit grows darker. In the distance appears the ship ofthe Flying Dutchman, with blood-red sails andblack masts. She quickly nears the shore, overagainst the ship of the Norwegian. With a fearfulcrash the anchor plunges into the water. TheSteersman springs up out of sleep; without leavinghis place he gives a nasty look a the wheel, and,satisfied that no harm has been done, he hums thebeginning of his song.)3Should the south wind blow no more…(He falls asleep again. Silently the Duchman’sghostly crew berth their ship. The Dutchman comesashore.)No. 2: Recitative and AriaDutchmanThe time has come, the seven years have reachedtheir appointed end.The fickle sea casts me ashore again. Ha!Proud and mighty sea! It won’t be long beforeyou must reclaim me.Your rage soon passes; not so my endless pain!The grace for which my soul is searchingalways shall elude me!You, unbounded ocean hold me in thrall,until your tide refuses to turn,until your watery depths run dry!I begged the deep to drag me down,down to the caverns far beneath:but, ah, my death was not to be!Towards the sea cliffs’ jagged teethI followed the cries of the drowned.But ah! That grave was not for me!I dared the pirates to subdue me,in hope of dying by their swords.‘Come, sea wolves, send your fiercest to me!My treasure here is your reward.’But ah, the ruthless bucaneerjust crossed himself and fled in fear.I begged the deep to drag me down,down to the caverns far beneath:7677

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 78Onto the sea cliffs’ jagged teethamong the cries of those who drowned!Nowhere a grave! Never to die!This my unholy destiny!Answer me this, God’s angel up in Heaven,when you decreed the terms for my release,was it your joke, this task that I was given,when there’s no earthly chance of finding peace?Forget delusions! Never hope again!The search for love unending is in vain!One hope alone preserves my reason,one hope is with me first and last:this earth, renewed with every season,must one day crumble into dust!Dread day of Judgement! Free me soon!When will I hear your mighty crash,the thunder and the crack of doomthat pounds the world to dust and ash!When all the dead rise up again,and only nothingness remains!When all the dead rise up againeternal night shall end my pain!When worlds and stars are all destroyed,then I shall perish in the void!Dutchman’s Crew (from the ship’s hold)Then we shall perish in the void!(He leans in brooding silence against a rock in theforeground.)No. 3: Scene, Duet and ChorusDaland comes out of the cabin; he looks round at4the storm and observes the strange ship.Daland (looking at the steersman)Hey! Holla! Steersman!Steersman (half rousing himself from sleep)All’s well, all’s well!Ah, gentle south windfind that shore where my love…Daland (shaking him violently)Are you sure?Damn! Wake up and use your eyes!Look, there’s a ship. Have you been sleepinglong?Steersman (starting up)I must have been! You won’t catch me again!(He seizes the speaking trumpet and calls through it.)Ahoy!(A long pause, the echo repeats the call twice.)Ahoy!(A long pause, renewed echo.)DalandI think they’re even lazier than you.Steersman (as before)Ahoy there! Ship and country?Daland (noticing the Dutchman on land)Give up! I see the skipper there, I think!(calling out to the Dutchman)Hey! Hallo! Captain!Name your ship and country!(a long silence)Dutchman (without changing his position)Long have I sailed; would you refuse a strangeranchorage in stormy seas?Daland (going ashore)No, God forbid! We welcome any sailors.Who are you?DutchmanA Dutchman.DalandBe our guest! The stormy weather drove you upagainst this rocky shore?I did no better: just a mile or two from heremy home is waiting; almost there,and I was forced to look for shelter.Where do you come from? What damage haveyou suffered?DutchmanMy ship’s unharmed. She never suffers damage.I’ve sailed through ice, through gale, throughthunder,crossing the ocean to and frofor years now, decades without number,I ceased to count them long ago.To north and south my ship was driven,to ev’ry land from east to west,but how I’ve longed for home or haven,where I might find true peace and rest!I never found the home or havenwaiting for me with peace and rest!If you could give me lodging for one night,you won’t regret the friendliness you show;with treasure I’ve amassed from every country,my ship is heavily laden.If you’ll barter, then rest assured,the loss will not be yours.DalandI’m lost for words! Can I believe your story?Your lucky star has proved a worthless guide.I’d like to help you; tell me what you need…But, may I ask you what your ship contains?Dutchman (gives a sign to the watch on his ship;they bring a chest ashore)I’ll show you things beyond your wildest dreams,sapphires and emeralds, pearls and diamondrings.(He opens the box.)Look in, you’ll soon convince yourself I’m notmerely boasting.This is how your grateful guest will pay you.Daland (looking at the contents of the chest withwonder)What? I’m dreaming! All these riches!Who could afford the price of such a fortune?DutchmanThe price? I’ve told you what the price will be;all this is yours for just a single night!And what you see is just a tiny partof all that lies enclosed within the hold.What’s this to me? I have no wife, I have no child,7879

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 80and I have never found a home.I’ll gladly give you all my wealthif you and yours will offer me your friendly home.DalandWhat are you saying?DutchmanDo you have a daughter?DalandI do, a loving child.DutchmanShe’ll be my wife!Daland (joyful, yet perplexed)What? Is this true? If it’s marriage he meansand seems a serious bidder,if I don’t strike while his appetite’s keenI fear that he’ll reconsider!Who knows if I’m dreaming or waking,but he seems almost perfect to me.Such luck comes but once for the taking,with a happy heart I agree; truly happy!He seems a serious bidder,he seems quite sincere.DutchmanI am alone without child or wife,I have no ties to bind me.Fate drags me on through this wretched lifeand torments follow behind me.My hopes of a home have been buried,this boundless wealth is more than I need.Once I and your daughter are married,take my treasure, it’s useless to me!DalandYes, stranger, yes, I have a lovely daughter,who loves me as a loyal daughter should.She is my pride, the best of my possessions,my constant comfort and my greatest joy.DutchmanThe love she has for you will never weaken,faithful as daughter, faithful, too, as wife.DalandYou give me diamonds, pearls and other treasures,but dearer still than these, a faithful wife.DutchmanYou give to me?DalandMy word should be enough!I feel for you; you have a generous heart.It shows me your nobility of soul.But rich or poor alikeyou’re still the man that I would chooseto be my daughter’s husband!DutchmanYou’re kind! And shall I see the girl today?DalandThe next fair wind will bring us into port;Then you will see, and if she suits your taste…DutchmanShe will be mine!(aside)Will she fulfill my prayer?Now, as my yearning heart sees Heaventhrough blinding veils of black despair,Can I still hope or am I never to findthe love that leads me there?Can I still hope or am I never to findthe love that takes me there?Is this my angel, come to find me?Is this my dream to final peace?And from the heavy chains that bind me,can I believe I’ve found release?Ah! All the hopes I had are goneand yet new hope still drives me on!DalandI thank the storm, those powers of Naturewho drove us here, that I might claspwith just one further, timely gesture,what almost lies within my grasp.My blessings on the wind and waterthat made him shelter on this shore!A wealthy husband for my daughter,a father could not ask for more!Yes, a kindly man who’d pay his waycould have my house and child today!(The storm is quite over and the wind has changed.)Steersman (on board )South wind! South wind!‘Ah, gentle South wind, find that shore!’Sailors (waving their caps)Halloho! Yohohey! Halloho!DalandYou see, now Fortune takes your side,the wind has turned. It’s calm at last.So weigh the anchor, catch the tide!And sail for home! The storm is past!.DutchmanIf you are willing then why not take the lead?The wind is brisk, but after many a milemy weary crew must have the rest they need.Steersman and Sailors (raising the anchor andhoisting sail )Ho, ho, ho! Hallohey! Halloho!DalandDon’t miss the wind!DutchmanIt’s set to blow awhile.My ship is fast, she’ll soon catch up with you.DalandAll right, you’re sure? Then that is what we’ll do.Farewell. I hope you’ll meet my child today!DutchmanIndeed.Daland (going on board his ship)Hey! Now the tide has turned our way!Hallo! Hallo!(He gives a signal on the whistle.)8081

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 825Come, lads, prepare to sail!ChorusSailors (setting sail )Through the rumble and roar of southern storms,my true love, I am near! Hurrah!Over towering seas my ship is borne,my true love, I am here! Hurrah!But should the south wind blow no more,I’ll never come home to you.Oh, gentle south wind find that shorewhere my love is ever true.Ho, ho, ho! Yoloho!(The Dutchman boards his ship. The curtain falls.)Scene 2A large room in Daland’s house. On the side walls,pictures of sea objects, charts etc. On the back wallthe portrait of a pale man with a dark beard,wearing a black Spanish costume. Mary and thegirls are sitting round the fireplace, spinning. Senta,leaning back in a large armchair, is absorbed indreamy contemplation of the portrait on the wall.No. 4: Song, Scene, Ballad and ChorusGirlsWhirr and whirl as morning passes,little wheel sing softly as you twirl!Spinning threads in coiling massesset the little wheel awhirl!My love sails out across the sea,he dreams of me he left behind;turn little wheel, run fast and freeand help him find a homeward wind!Spin! Spin! Spin!Bonny lasses!Curl, twirl,coiling masses!Tralara, la la la la la!MaryKeep working! Husbands tend to favoura wife who’s used to heavy labour!GirlsCome, Mary, hush! You surely knowwe’ve other verses still to go!MaryThen sing! But move the work along.(to Senta)Speak to me, Senta; why no song?GirlsWhirr and whirl as morning passeslittle wheel sing softly as you twirl!Spinning threads in coiling masses,set the little wheel awhirl!In seven years before the mastmy love has earned a chest of gold.Turn, little wheel, run free and fastto win the gold, spin brave and bold!Spin! Spin!Bonny lasses,curl, twirl,coiling masses!Tralara, la la la la la!Mary (to Senta)You lazy thing! if you don’t spinyour love will bring no golden ring!GirlsShe takes her ease because she can;her lover’s not a sailor man.Instead of gold he brings her food;that’s how a huntsman’s girl is wooed!Ha ha ha ha !(They laugh. Senta sings softly to herself.)MaryThat picture rules her ev’ry mood!(to Senta)How long do you intend to languishin childish dreams and fantasies?Senta (without moving)Why did you tell me of his anguish?Why did you tell me who he is?(She sighs.)The wretched man!MaryGod help you, girl!GirlsAha! Aha! What’s that we heard?She sighs for him hour after hour!MaryHer muddled wits have gone astray.GirlsWho’d guess that paint could have such power!MaryIt makes no diff’rence what I say!Come, Senta! Tear yourself away!GirlsShe does not hear! Love’s deaf and blind! Ay! Ay!She’d better bear in mindthat Erik is a fiery ladand jealousy might drive him mad!So hush! Or, crazed with jealous pangshe’ll shoot his rival where he hangs!(They laugh.)Senta (starting up angrily)Be quiet! You’ll make me lose my temperif you don’t stop this mindless banter!Girls (They sing as loudly as possible and spin theirwheels with a great clatter so that Senta has nochance to chide them.)Whirr and whirl as morning passes,little wheel sing softly as you twirl!Spinning threads in coiling masses,set the little wheel awhirl!SentaOh, stop that endless droning chorus!It hums and drums inside my ear!If you must positively bore us,8283

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 84then sing a song I want to hear!GirlsFine! Sing yourself!SentaHere’s my proposal;let Mary sing my favourite ballad.MaryGood God forbid! I must decline!That Flying Dutchman, leave him be!SentaI’ve heard you sing it many times.I’ll sing myself! Listen to me.If there is any pity in you,his wretched fate will surely move you!GirlsGo right ahead!SentaAll of it’s true!GirlsWe’ll take a rest!Mary (stays by the fireplace and continues to spin)I’ve work to do!(The girls move their seats nearer to the armchair,after they have put aside their spinning wheels, andgroup themselves round Senta. Mary remainssittingwhere she was, and goes on spinning.)1COMPACT DISC TWOBalladI.Senta (in the big armchair)Yohohoey!I see a ship, as black as night,with blood-red sails to trap the breeze.Her captain, pale as winter light,keeps endless watch on boundless seas!Hui! The howling wind! Yohohey!Hui! It shrieks aloft! Yohohey!Hui! Like an arrow the galehas no aim, has no end, has no rest!Yet might this pallid wand’rerstill save his soul from damnation.One woman faithful even to deathcould be his salvation!How many years will it take you to find her?Pray God to make her faithful in life, true untodeath!(Towards the end of the verse Senta turns towardsthe picture. The girls listen with interest. Mary hasstopped spinning.)II.SentaHe sailed due west, against the tide,through stormy waters running free.‘I’ll give my soul,’ the captain cried,‘to round the Cape and rule the sea!’Hui! And Satan heard! Yohohey!Hui! And took his word! Yohohey!Hui! And condemned him to sail ever on,without end, without rest!Yet, that this wretched man might notlose the way to salvation,Heav’n’s angel showed him how he mightsave his soul from damnation:pale captain, pray, pray to God that you’ll find her!Beg Him to make her faithful in life, true untodeath!Girls (deeply moved)Pale captain, pray, pray to God that you’ll findher!Beg Him to help you!III.Senta (with growing excitement)At anchor every seventh yearhe seeks a bride to share his life.He sought her every seventh year,but never found a faithful wife.Hui! ‘Unfurl the sails!’ Yohohey!Hui! ‘Cast off the ropes!’ Yohohey!Hui! Fickle love, fickle vows!Sail away, without end, without rest!(Senta, exhausted, sinks back into the chair. After adeep pause, the girls go on singing.)GirlsWhere can she be, the one who was chosen foryou by Heaven?8485

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 86Where will you find one true unto death andconstant forever?Chosen for you alone, chosen by Heaven.Senta (carried away by a sudden inspiration, andspringing up from the chair)I’ll be the one who by her love will save you!God’s angel hosts will help you find me!Through me then, you shall find salvation!Mary and Girls (jumping up, terrified)God help us! Senta! Senta!Erik (who has come through the door andoverheard Senta’s outcry)Senta! Senta! Do you want to kill me?GirlsHelp, Erik, help! She’s lost her senses!MaryMy blood runs cold to hear this madness!Destroy that wretched picture now.Wait till her father’s in the house.Erik (sadly)Her father’s here.Senta (who has remained still and absorbed,springs up as if awaking)My father’s here?ErikI saw his ship across the bay.Girls (joyfully)They’re home at last! They’re home at last!2Mary (bustling around )Now look how idle we’ll appear;we’ve hardly done a stroke all day!GirlsNo time to waste!Mary (calling the girls together)Stop! And no one leave their place!Now follow my precise directions!GirlsI have so many burning questions!MaryTo the kitchen and the cellar first!GirlsThat I must ask before I burst!MaryAnd hold your tongues, that’s my suggestion;Till they’ve had food and quenched their thirst!I think you’d better feed them first!GirlsAll right! We’ll see to their digestion,but pleasure’s last and duty’s first!(Mary drives the girls out and follows them.)No. 5: Duet(Senta also wants to leave but Erik restrains her.)ErikStay, Senta! Stay awhile and talk with me;and set me free from all my pain!Or will you tear out my living heart!Senta (lingering)What’s real? What now?ErikOh, Senta, say, what’s to become of me?Your father’s here, before he leaves againhe needs to realise one of his ambitions.SentaWhat can you mean?ErikHe wants you married safely!My heart is yours till death divides us;my worldly goods, my steady hand,what wealth my hunter’s skill provides us;these would not suit your father’s plan!Then, if my heart is torn in two,speak, Senta, will your heart be true?SentaAh! Erik, that’s enough!Father is here, he’ll count on me to meet him.He won’t forgive a duty not fulfilled,if I’m not there to greet him.ErikYou leave me now?SentaHe’s there, I know.ErikIs this the end?SentaAh, let me go!ErikDo you not see the wounds you gave me?Can you ignore a heart in pain?Ah, hear me, Senta, you alone can save me.Answer my question once again.When this, my heart, is torn in two,speak, Senta, will your heart be true?Who’ll speak for me, will it be you?Senta (despairingly)What! Can you doubt my true affection?And question if my love is real?Why must you wallow in affliction?Or is this jealousy you feel?ErikYour father sees the riches you will gain.And, Senta, you, how could I ever trust you?When all my prayers have gone without an answer,day after day, my heart is torn.SentaYour heart?ErikYou know the reason… It’s that face!SentaThat face?ErikWill you forget this childish dream of love?8687

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 88SentaCan I prevent sympathy and compassion?ErikYou sang the ballad once again today!SentaI am a child. I don’t know what I’m singing!But wait… What? Do you fear a song? A face?ErikYou are so pale, speak; are my fears all groundless?SentaShould such a tragic destiny not move me?ErikMy suff’ring, Senta, does not move you too?SentaAh, face the truth! What is your pain to his?You know the story of that wretched man.(She leads Erik close to the picture and points at it.)Do you feel the pain, the weight of grief,that calls to me, if not to you?Think how his torment has known no relief.How could my heart not suffer too?ErikAlas! It brings back my ill-omened dream!God keep you safe! Satan has set a trap!SentaWhat is frightening you?ErikSenta, this is my dream…My nightmare… Hear what the warning says…(Senta sinks exhausted into the armchair. WhenErik begins his story she appears to fall into amagnetic trance so that she seems to dream thedream Erik relates to her. He stands by the chair.In a subdued voice.)Upon the cliff I lay there dreamingwatching the breakers swell below.The rocks destroyed them, dark and gleamingin noisy clouds of salty foam.I saw a ship across the water,forbidding, foreign, black as night.Your father came to meet his daughter,but not alone, for at his side…Senta (her eyes closed)Another?ErikNot unknown, I fear,the ashen face, the sombre clothes…Senta (as before)The brooding eyes……Erik (pointing to the picture)Your captain here!SentaAnd l?ErikYou came towards them both,and ran at once to greet your father.But even as you kissed, you saw himthen threw himself upon the strangerand saw you on your knees before him…Senta (in increasing excitement)He took my hand…ErikCloser you came;until, your lips pressed on his lips,you kiss’d, with one desire aflame…SentaAnd then?Erik (watching her with uneasy amazement)You left to join his ship.Senta (rapidly awakening and in the highestexcitement)He called my name! I heard his voice!I’ll die for him, that is my choice!ErikI knew it! All is revealed!My love is lost! The dream was real!(He rushes away, full of horror and despair. Afterher passionate outburst, Senta falls back intocontemplation of the picture.)Senta (softly, but deeply moved)Pale captain, pray, pray to God that you’ll findher!Beg Him to make her faithful in life, true unto…(The door opens and the Dutchman and Dalandappear. The Dutchman enters immediately; Senta’s34gaze turns from the picture to him, and she gives aviolent cry of surprise, after which she remainstransfixed without taking her eyes off him.)Ha!No. 6: Aria, Duet and TrioThe Dutchman walks slowly forward, his eyes fixedon Senta, and stops. Daland waits at the door,expecting Senta to come to him.Daland (gradually approaching Senta)My child, your father’s on the threshold;what, not a greeting, not a kiss?You’ve taken root! Now what’s the matter?I’m owed a little more than this!Senta (grasps Daland’s hand, as he reaches her)You’re welcome home!(pulling him closer to her)But who is this? Who is the stranger?Daland (smiling)Patience child.AriaDalandSenta, my child, extend a welcome to this stranger:fresh from the cruel sea, I bring him as a guest.Sailing in search of wealth on journies fraughtwith danger,success rewards him, and his credit’s of the best.But banished from his home forever,he’ll pay us well if you’ll be kind.8889

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 90So, Senta, come now, tell me, truly,were he to live here would you mind?(to the Dutchman)Well, were her virtues as I stated?Just say the word, she’s in your hands.Her worth could not be overrated;confess, she’s perfect as she stands!(The Dutchman makes an affirmative gesture.Daland returns to Senta.)Senta, my child, I think that you could grow tolike him;he’s asked me for your hand, and will not bedenied.Give him your heart and make a new life herebeside him.Take my advice, say ‘yes’ and soon you’ll be hisbride!(Senta makes a quick and painful movement butretains her composed demeanour. Daland producessome jewels and shows them to Senta.)Look at these jewels, don’t you adore them!Each smallest pearl fit for a king.Think what you’d feel like if you wore them!They’re yours if you will take his ring!(Senta keeps her gaze fixed on the Dutchman anddoes not look at Daland; neither does theDutchman listen, but is lost in contemplation ofthegirl. Daland, noticing this, glances at them both.)What? Both struck dumb! I think I’m in the way!I see! I’ll leave him here to have his say.(He looks searchingly at the Dutchman and Senta,5and then turns to the latter.)He is the one; you’ll not find better!Make this a choice you won’t regret!(to the Dutchman)Speak to her now… alone together.Trust me, she’s yours and true till death!(He leaves the room slowly, curious to see whetherthey will approach one another. He finally goes outin vexed astonishment.)DuetThe Dutchman and Senta are alone. They remaintransfixed, gazing at one another.Dutchman (deeply moved)As from the distant dawn of my creation,this lovely face calls out to me.All through the years of endless subjugationI’ve dreamed of her and now I see.In my despair this wondrous image haunts mefrom deepest night, I see a light above:by Satan’s wish my heart still beats and taunts me,racked by the pain of never knowing love.A smould’ring heat that smothers and entombsmemakes me believe at last that love consumes me.Ah, no! This yearning is for my release;could this enchanting angel bring me peace?SentaAm I submerged within some bright illusion?Is this a vision which I see?Until today my life has been delusion;is this the hour that sets me free?Here stands a man whose face is lined withsorrow.His silent grief speaks softly to my heart.Can he be real, or will I wake tomorrow?He who was in my dreams is here with me.This burning pain that stirs such ardent passion,what can I call it, rapture or compassion?Your heart is longing for its last release.I hope that I may bring your soul to peace.Dutchman (approaching Senta)Your father’s wish should be respected.What he proposed, you won’t reject it?Could you be mine, and mine alone, forever,give me your hand, a stranger though I be?From endless pain, from all-consuming fever,your constant love at last could set me free?SentaI’m sure of this; whatever Fate has bound you,whatever name you bear or what you do,my chosen course is clear, now I have found you;be true to you and to my father too!Dutchman (moved)Such simple trust! Your innocence has told youhow deep the anguish of my endless night!Senta (aside)Such desp’rate anguish! Let my love console you!Dutchman (having heard Senta’s exclamation)Sweet voice that changes darkness into light!(enraptured)You are an angel, bringing consolationthat makes the fettered spirit free!If one must come whose life is my salvation,Almighty God, let this be she!SentaIf one must come, whose life is his salvation,Almighty God, let it be me!DutchmanAh! If you knew the fate that’s waitingshould you commit yourself to me,and if you knew the price you’re payingand what the sacrifice will be.Your soul would tremble if I told youthe sentence Fate would have in storeif such a promise could not hold you,if you renounce the vows you swore!SentaI know the weight of obligation.Calm all your fears, I shall defyDestiny’s will and my damnation.That cannot frighten such as I!What little I may have of virtueknows what it means to keep my faith.If I were yours, I could not hurt you;I’d love you unto death!Dutchman (with emotion)A healing balm that soothes my fever,her words drop coolly on my brow.Hear this! My soul is free forever!9091

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 926Powers of Heaven!You must accept me now!Hear this, immortals!You must accept me now!Ill-fated star, no longer guide me!Hope in my darkness shine anew!Bright angels, you who once denied me,strengthen her heart and keep it true!SentaI’ll battle even till I perishto free him from the Devil’s grasp.Here is a home that he may cherish.Here he may lay his head at last!Here he may rest his head at last.What is this strength whose virtues fire me?What is this magic locked here inside?Almighty God, your love will inspire me,you will be with me as my guide!Let your selfless love inspire me,you will be with me as my guide,you’ll be at my side, my constant guide!TrioDaland (enters)My crew are bored with this delay;our late arrival earns a drink at least.To make it special, can we celebrateyour happy union later at the feast?(to the Dutchman)I think you’ve wooed her to your heart’s content.(to Senta)7Senta, my child, will you give your consent?Senta (with solemn determination)Freely this hand I give to you,I shall remain forever true.DutchmanShe gives her hand, I’ll conquer you,vile pow’rs of Hell, if she be true!DalandThis match will suit both her and you.Let’s feast! We will be happy too!(They leave, the curtain falls.)Scene 3A bay with rocky shores. In the foreground, to oneside, is Daland’s house; in the background, neartogether, are the ships of Daland and theDutchman. The night is clear. The Norwegian shipis lit up, and the sailors are on deck, feasting andsinging. The Dutchman’s ship presents a strangecontrast; an unnatural darkness broods over it, anda death-like silence reigns.IntroductionNo. 7: Chorus and EnsembleNorwegian Sailors (aboard their ship)Steersman, leave your watch!Steersman, join your friends!Ho! Hey! Yay! Ha!Haul the canvas in, anchor fast,Steersman, hey!Fearing neither storm nor rocky shorewe prefer to pass the time awaywith a pretty girl in ev’ry port,smoking half the night and drinking all the day!Hussassa hey!Shipwreck and storm, Halloho hey!Treat them with scorn! Hussassa hey!Furl the sails! Anchor fast!Rock and storm, laugh them to scorn!Steersman, leave your watch!Steersman, join your friends!Ho! Hey! Hey! Ha!Steersman hey! Drink with us!Rock and storm, hey!Never fear, hey!Come and drink with us!(They dance on the deck marking each measurewith loud stamps of their feet. The girls come out ofthe house carrying baskets of food and drink.)GirlsCome, take a look! How well they dance!It looks like we girls won’t stand a chance!(They go towards the Dutchman’s ship.)SailorsHo! Ladies, stop! You’re just in time!GirlsHow would you like to try some wine?But don’t your friends need invitations?We ought to serve your neighbours first.SteersmanOf course! You’re right; we’ve obligations!They must be dropping dead of thirst.SailorsThey can’t be seen.SteersmanThey’re silent too! No lights and no vestige of acrew!Girls (about to go aboard the Dutchman’s ship)Ho! Sailors! Hey! We’ll lend you light.Where have you gone? Don’t waste the night!Sailors (laughing)Don’t wake them up! They’ve turned them out!Girls (going close to the water and calling tothe crew of the Dutchman’s ship)Ho! Sailors! Hey! Give us a shout!(A deep silence.)Sailors (mocking, with affected sorrow)Ha ha! Most likely they are dead;they have no need of wine or bread!They don’t need food or drink!Girls (calling to the Dutchman’s ship)Ay, Sailors, just answer, we’ll leave you in peace;or are you too proud to join us in our feast?Sailors (as before)They hide below, within the hold9293

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 94like dragons watching over their gold.GirlsHey! Sailors, you’re welcome to food and to wine.Surely you’re thirsty and will not decline!SailorsThey won’t sing songs or drink a jar;their lightless decks are black as tar.GirlsThough you have no sweetheart to keep you awayif you come and dance you may find one today!SailorsTheir hair is grey, their cheeks are wan,and all their sweethearts dead and gone!Girls (calling ever louder and more anxiously)Hey! Sailors! Sailors! Come ashore!We’ll eat, drink and sing then drink some more!AllSailors! Sailors!Come ashore! Come ashore!(Long silence.)Girls (astonished and afraid)Most likely, yes! They must be dead!They have no need of wine or bread.Sailors (with increasing high spirits)You’ve heard of the Flying Dutchman’s crew;That must be their ship and its company too!Girls (as before)For God’s sake, leave the men to rest;we would not welcome phantom guests!SailorsFor how many years have you been under sail?Immune to the dangers of shipwreck and gale?GirlsThey won’t sing songs or drink a jar,their lightless decks are black as tar.SailorsIf you have a letter for someone on land,we will see that it reaches great grandfather’s hand!GirlsTheir hair is grey, their cheeks are wan,and all their sweethearts dead and gone!Sailors (noisily)Hey! Sailors, hoist all of your canvas on high,let’s see how the mythical Dutchman can fly!Girls (moving fearfully away from theDutchman’s ship)They don’t respond! Fear makes us shake!We’ve called enough for Heaven’s sake!SailorsThen let them drink a toast with death!You drink with us who still draw breath!Girls (handing their baskets to the sailors overthe side of the ship)All yours! Your neighbours still refuse!Steersman and SailorsWhat! Won’t you come and join the fun?GirlsNot right away! We may later on!Don’t wait for us. Start on the booze!Dance if you want to, you know best,just don’t disturb your neighbours’ rest!Let them rest!(They leave.)Sailors (emptying the baskets)Juch hey! The wine is flowing!Good neighbours, thanks to you!SteersmanWe’ll really get the party going!Now each man has enough for two!SailorsHallohohoho!Dear friends, there’s time to change your mind;speak up, and come and share the wine!(From now on, there is movement on theDutchman’s ship.)Show a leg! Show a leg!Come! Join us here!(They drink and clank their mugs.)Hussa!Steersman, leave your watch!Steersman, join your friends!Ho! Hey! Hey! Ha!Haul the canvas in! Anchor fast!Steersman, hey!Often in the savage tempest’s roarwe have had to drink the salty brine;then we dream of nights upon the shore,kisses from a lass and good Madeira wine!Hussassahey! Shipwreck and stormYololohay! Treat them with scorn!Hussassahey! Furl the sails! Anchor fast!Rock and storm, laugh them to scorn!Steersman! Leave your watch!Steersman, join your friends!Ho, hey, hey! Ha!Steersman, come!Drink with us!Ho! Hey! Hey! Ha! Ho!Come and drink with us!(The sea, whilst remaining calm everywhere else,begins to seethe around the Dutchman’s ship; adarkblue flame flares up as a watch fire. A fierce stormwind blows through the rigging; the crew, who hadpreviously been unseen, seem to be raised to life bythe light of the flame.)Dutchman’s CrewYo ho hoey! Yo ho hoey! Hoey! Hoey! Hoey!Huissa! Let the storm drive us home.Huissa! Reef the sails, anchor down!Huissa! Hurry into the bay!Sombre captain, scour the landnow that seven years have passed.Seek a blonde-haired maiden’s hand,who’ll be yours and yours alone!Hey for the bride! Hey for the groom!9495

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 96Storms for the bridal march,waves dance a wedding dance!Hui! Hear it call!How it wails! Come back aboard!Hui! Set the sails!And your bride, where is your bride?Hui! Set a course!Journey on till you find a more fortunate tide!Hahaha! Storm clouds, blow your fiercest gales!You will not destroy our sails!Satan made them good and strong;they will last for ages long!(During the Dutch crew’s song, their ship is tossedto and fro on raging waves; a furious gale howlsand whistles through the bare rigging. Elsewhere,the sky and sea remain as calm as before.)Norwegian Sailors (having listened, firstwith amazement, then with horror)What a song! Are they ghosts? I’m afraid!We must sing! Do your best! Make it strong!Steersman, leave your watch!Steersman, join your friends!Ho! Hey! Hey! Ha!Make it strong!Fearing neither storm nor rocky shoreMake it strong! Louder!Dutchman’s CrewHuissa! Yohohoey! Yohohoey!Storm clouds blow your fiercest gales!You will not destroy our sails!8Satan made them good and strong,they will last for ages long.(The Norwegian sailors are silenced by the stormand the ever louder and wilder song of the ghostlycrew. They leave their deck, terrified, making thesign of the cross, which is greeted with loud laughsof scorn. The deathly stillness returns to theDutchman’s ship immediately, and it is shrouded indarkness. The sky and sea become calm again.)No. 8: Duet, Cavatina and FinaleSenta hurries out of the house, followed by Erik,who is greatly agitated.ErikWhat is this madness? God, what do I see?Deception? Falsehood? Or the truth?Senta (turning away, painfully moved)Don’t ask me this!I dare not answer your questions!ErikAlmighty God! I’m certain it is true!What diabolic pow’r brought you to this?What kind of force corrupted you,what kind of force could drag you down so low?Low enough to tear my faithful heart in two!Your father, ha, he’s brought your bridegroom here;I knew his mind, I guessed what he had planned!But you, how could you…offered him your hand!A man whom you had known for just a day!9Senta (in a turmoil)Don’t press me! Stop! I must! I must!ErikOh, blind obedience leads you blindly on!Your loving father hardly had to force you!A single blow destroys my trusting heart!Senta (as before)Enough! Enough! We’ll never meet again.I must forget you;higher duty calls!ErikWhat higher call? How could you break yourpromiseto trust me and to love me, now and forever?Senta (greatly shocked)What! Did I promise love for evermore?Erik (sorrowfully)Senta! O Senta, don’t turn away!CavatinaErikCould you forget those carefree happy hours;you called my name, I answered from the hill.Down from the peaks I brought you mountainflowers,far from your touch, their scent is with me still.Remember standing on the cliff together,to watch your father setting out to sea?Sails in the wind, like drifting snow-white feathers,he sped away, far away, entrusting you to me.10Think how we sat, your hand against my cheek.You gave your heart, I trusted it was true,I understood, you had no need to speak,with your caress that you pledged your love anew.With your caress it seemed you pledged yourlove anew.Although you did not speak,I thought I knew your heart;was that caress not a promisethat you pledged your love anew?FinaleDutchman (has overheard the previous sceneand now rushes forward in wild and terrifyingexcitement)It’s hopeless! Ah! It’s hopeless!Never shall I be saved!Erik (stepping back, dismayed)What is this? God!DutchmanSenta, farewell!Senta (barring his way)Don’t go! Poor wand’rerErik (to Senta)What is happ’ning?DutchmanTo sea! To sea! To sea I’ll sail forever!(to Senta)You can forget the vows you swore.9697

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 98You can forget them, I am lost!Farewell, no, I will not destroy you!ErikHe’s raving! He’s insane!Senta (throwing herself in front of the Dutchman)Stay here, and never go to sea again!Dutchman (gives a shrill blast on his whistleand shouts to his crew)Set the sails! Loose the ropes!Anchors away, we leave the land forever!Hoist the sail!Once more to sea, outcast I’m driven.Betrayed by God! I am despised!Your broken vows, so lightly given,nothing but worthless, shallow lies!Nothing but vile and empty lies!Love that you promised, worthless lies!No hope! No faith! All is now lost!SentaAh, do you think my trust has faltered?What have you seen, what have you heard?Stay here! My promise has not altered!I could not break my solemn word!Poor wand’rer, what have you seen, what haveyou heard?ErikWhat is this? God! What are they doing?She cannot see, he has her in his claws!Senta! Do not embrace your ruin!Come here! Come here! Escape from Satan’s jaws!She cannot see his hungry claws!DutchmanNow learn the dreadful truth, the fate you havebeen spared!I am condemned to bear the curse of Satan,I long to die, to close this living hell!A woman’s love alone can end my suff’ring,a love that’s true and faithful unto death.You may have sworn eternal love,but not before almighty God!You’re safe and free!You’re free, but hear what terror lies in waitfor whose who break their promise to befaithful:endless damnation, endless night!Numberless victims met this cursed end throughme!You, Senta, have escaped their doom. Farewell!(turning to go)Farewell! All hope is lost, for evermore!Erik (calling in wild anxiety to the house and theNorwegian ship)She needs us! Help her, rescue her!Senta (holding the Dutchman back)I know you well, know you and know your fate;when first we met, I’d seen your face before!Your suff’rring has reached its end!My love, my love alone will bring your soul’srelease!(At Erik’s cry for help, Daland, Mary, the girlsfromthe house, and the sailors from the ship, run on.)ErikShe’s lost! Can no one save her?DalandWhat is happ’ning? God!Mary, Girls and SailorsWhat is happ’ning?Dutchman (to Senta)You do not know the truth of who I am!(He points to his ship, whose blood-red sails arebeing set, and whose crew, with ghost-like activity,are preparing for departure.)But ask the waves of ev’ry ocean,ask any sailor, he will tell you of my fame:when I appear his fearful heart is frozen;the Flying Dutchman is my name!Dutchman’s CrewYohohoey! Yohoey! Hoey!(The Dutchman, with the speed of lightning,boards his ship, which instantly heads out to sea.Senta tries to follow him but is held back byDaland, Erik and Mary.)Daland, Mary, Erik, Girls and SailorsSenta, Senta, what can you mean?Senta (She frees herself with the strength of anger9899

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 100Opera in English on ChandosOpera in English on ChandosCHAN 3045(4)CHAN 3060(5)CHAN 3065(16)CHAN 3054(3)CHAN 3038(4)

CHAN 3119 BOOK.qxd 20/9/06 12:00 pm Page 102The Opera in English series:CHAN 3011(2) Donizetti: Don PasqualeCHAN 3027(2) Donizetti: The Elixir of LoveCHAN 3083(2) Donizetti: Lucia of LammermoorCHAN 3017(2) Donizetti: Mary StuartCHAN 3073 Janet Baker sings scenes from Mary StuartCHAN 3003 Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (The TouringCompany)CHAN 3004 Mascagni: Cavalleria rusricana (RusticChivalry)CHAN 3005(2) Pagliacci & Cavalleria rusticanaCHAN 3008(2) Puccini: La bohèmeCHAN 3070(2) Puccini: Madam ButterflyCHAN 3000(2) Puccini: ToscaCHAN 3066 Jane Eaglen sings ToscaCHAN 3086(2) Puccini: TurandotCHAN 3025(2) Rossini: The Barber of SevilleCHAN 3097(2) Rossini: The Thieving MagpieCHAN 3074(2) Verdi: AidaCHAN 3052(2) Verdi: ErnaniCHAN 3079(2) Verdi: FalstaffCHAN 3116(2) Verdi: A Masked BallCHAN 3068(2) Verdi: OtelloCHAN 3030(2) Verdi: RigolettoCHAN 3023(2) Verdi: La traviataCHAN 3036(2) Verdi: Il trovatore (The Troubadour)CHAN 3067 A Verdi CelebrationCHAN 3091(2) Bizet: CarmenCHAN 3014(3) Gounod: FaustCHAN 3089(2) Gounod: Faust (abridged)CHAN 3033(2) Massenet: WertherCHAN 3094(2) Berg: WozzeckCHAN 3019(2) Handel: Julius CaesarCHAN 3072 Janet Baker sings scenes from Julius CaesarCHAN 3081(2) Mozart: The Abduction from the SeraglioCHAN 3057(3) Mozart: Don GiovanniCHAN 3103(2) Mozart: IdomeneoCHAN 3113(3) Mozart: The Marriage of FigaroCHAN 3022 Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (The Knightof the Rose, highlights)CHAN 3054(3) Wagner: The RhinegoldCHAN 3038(4) Wagner: The ValkyrieCHAN 3045(4) Wagner: SiegfriedCHAN 3060(5) Wagner: Twilight of the GodsCHAN 3065(16) Wagner: Complete Ring CycleCHAN 3101(2) Janáček: The Cunning Little VixenCHAN 3029(2) Janáček: Osud (Fate)CHAN 3106(2) Janáček: JenůfaCHAN 3007 Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov (highlights)CHAN 3042(2) Tchaikovsky: Eugene OneginGreat Operatic AriasCHAN 3096 Elizabeth FutralCHAN 3035 Yvonne KennyCHAN 3099 Yvonne Kenny 2CHAN 3049 Della JonesCHAN 3010 Diana MontagueCHAN 3093 Diana Montague 2CHAN 3112 Barry BanksCHAN 3006 Bruce FordCHAN 3100 Bruce Ford 2CHAN 3088 Bruce Ford sings Viennese OperettaCHAN 3013 Dennis O’NeillCHAN 3105 Dennis O’Neill 2CHAN 3085 Alan OpieCHAN 3077 Andrew ShoreCHAN 3032 Alastair MilesCHAN 3044 John TomlinsonCHAN 3076 John Tomlinson 2CHAN 3078 Baroque CelebrationArtistic consultant to the Peter Moores Foundation: Patric SchmidVocal and language consultant: Ludmilla AndrewStaging director: Charles KilpatrickTranslation research: Henrietta BredinRecording producer Brian CouzensSound engineer Ralph CouzensAssistant engineer & editor Michael CommonOperas administrator Sue ShortridgeRecording venue Blackheath Halls, London; 6–11 January 2004Front cover Photograph of John Tomlinson by Robert WorkmanBack cover Photograph of David Parry by Bill CooperDesign Sean ColemanBooklet typeset by Dave PartridgeBooklet editor Kara Reedp 2004 Chandos Records Ltdc 2004 Chandos Records LtdChandos Records Ltd, Colchester, Essex CO2 8HQ, UKPrinted in the EU102103

CHAN 3119 INLAY BACK.qxd 20/9/06 11:58 am Page 1WAGNER: THE FLYING DUTCHMANCHANDOSRichard Wagner (1813–1883)The Flying Dutchmanp 2004 Chandos Records Ltd c 2004 Chandos Records LtdChandos Records Ltd • Colchester • Essex • EnglandCHANDOS DIGITAL 2-disc set CHAN 3119(2)Romantic opera in one actLibretto by the composer after Heine’s Aus den Memoiren des Herren von Schnabelewopski,English translation by Christopher CowellDaland, a Norwegian sailor.................................................................Eric Halfvarson bassSenta, his daughter ...........................................................................Nina Stemme sopranoErik, a huntsman.....................................................................................Kim Begley tenorMary, Senta’s nurse..............................................................Patricia Bardon mezzo-sopranoDaland’s Steersman.................................................................................Peter Wedd tenorThe Dutchman..................................................................................John Tomlinson bassGeoffrey Mitchell ChoirLondon Philharmonic OrchestraDavid ParryPrinted in the EULC 7038 DDD TT 142:03Recorded in 24-bit/96kHzCOMPACT DISC ONETT 64:36COMPACT DISC TWOTT 77:27SOLOISTS/LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA/ PARRYCHAN 3119(2)