Der fliegende Holländer
Music by Richard Wagner · libretto by Richard Wagner · premiered 1843 · at Semperoper
Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), WWV 63, is a German-language opera, with libretto and music by Richard Wagner. The central theme is redemption through love. Wagner conducted the premiere at the Königliches Hoftheater Dresden in 1843.
Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write the opera following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839. In his 1843 Autobiographic Sketch, Wagner acknowledged he had taken the story from Heinrich Heine's retelling of the legend in his 1833 satirical novel The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski (Aus den Memoiren des Herrn von Schnabelewopski). This work shows early attempts at operatic styles that would characterise his later music dramas. In Der fliegende Holländer Wagner uses a number of leitmotifs (literally, "leading motifs") associated with the characters and themes. The leitmotifs are all introduced in the overture, which begins with a well-known ocean or storm motif before moving into the Dutchman and Senta motifs. Wagner originally wrote the work to be performed without intermission – an example of his efforts to break with tradition – and, while today's opera houses often still follow this directive, it is also performed in the published three-act version. The autograph manuscript of the opera is preserved in the Richard Wagner Foundation.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Der fliegende Holländer", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
About the Composer
Richard Wagner is the composer of record for this opera.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Richard Wagner", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Other Operas by Richard Wagner
- Die Feen
- Die Laune des Verliebten (1830)
- Die Hochzeit (1832)
- Das Liebesverbot (1836)
- Männerlist größer als Frauenlist (1837)
- Lohengrin (1850)
- Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868)