By: Cathryn Macey
The Flying Dutchman sailed into Plymouth this week. Wagner’s famous tale of love, loss and longing is completely captivating from start to finish and proof that the WNO are still going strong – even in their 80th year of existence!
The orchestra (Tomas Hanus) often lead the narrative of this timeless story that’s steeped in spiritualism and romanticism. Using an overture which is dark and brooding creates a suitably ominous atmosphere for the depiction of Senta’s birth. The action on stage during this unique opening is wonderfully animalistic and bold enough to represent both the joy and pain that come with bringing another life into the world. Dramatic music intensifies the euphoria and devastation that follow.
Some productions of The Flying Dutchman rely on extravagant sets and props used to recreate the famous ghostly galleon the Dutchman is tethered to for seven years at a time. In this adaptation, the set (Elin Steele) is deliberately sparse. A large rectangle is positioned horizontally across the stage, and its green and blue façade appear to be reflected on to the surface of the stage itself. Whilst these colours definitely enhance the nautical aspect of the production, it is director Jack Furness’ use of a largely ever-present chorus that give the production the necessary scale needed for an opera of this stature.
WNO’s mighty chorus spend a significant amount of time on the stage forming different back drops for the various romantic and dramatic scenes that unfold between the main characters. In Act 1, the male chorus’s lurching and zombie like physical presence at the back of the stage provide a suitably eerie atmosphere. Presumably representing the ghost crew of the Dutchman’s ship, their gestures and confrontational eye contact enhance the edgy atmosphere. Equally, the power of their combined voices create a gargantuan wall of sound that suits the haunting, melancholic mood of the show. Sometimes the chorus sing a cappella and these moments are particularly moving.
In Act 1, the female chorus and their colourful dresses symbolise the jewels the Dutchman offers Daland in return for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Appearing in the background when the Dutchman makes the daring proposition, their elegant movements and array of brightly coloured costumes look incredibly enticing. Like the male chorus, the combined sound of the female chorus is also hugely powerful and communicates the shared spirit of community when they sing in unison at the start of Act 2.
Playing the Dutchman is notoriously difficult due to the fact that the role requires singing at great intensity and over a large orchestra. Bass baritone Simon Bailey’s voice is robust enough to easily handle the vocal demands of the role. Physically speaking, his raw masculine appeal combined with his dark and brooding manner make him the living, breathing embodiment of a romantic hero.
Equally, Rachel Nicholls’ performance as Senta realises her character’s tragic heroine status. Striking in a pillar box red dress she wears when the Dutchman finally docks, Nicholls’ duet with Bailey evokes the intense emotions she feels when she sees the man she vows to be faithful to forever. As their joint excitement mounts at the possibility of an engagement, their voices overlap which speeds the tempo of their duet up emphasising the impulsive nature of their actions.
Playing the role of the man Senta rejects for the love of the Dutchman, tenor Leonardo Caimi as Erik is less statuesque than our eponymous hero and hides beneath an 80’s style blazer. His voice carries the pain of rejection but his physical movements sometimes lack the assertiveness you might expect from a man publicly humiliated by his fiancé in the 17th century. However, this softer version of Erik could perhaps serve as a foil to the more stereotypically Alpha male behaviour of the Dutchman.
Overall, The Flying Dutchman is an opera that is easy to follow in terms of its story line. The orchestra and the show’s singers are all immensely talented meaning that this is an opera you definitely don’t want to miss out on should it dock here again.