Richard Wagner

Der Fliegende Hollaender (The Flying Dutchman)

DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER (THE FLYING DUTCHMAN), WWV 63, had two sources of inspiration for Richard Wagner (1813-1883). The first was a short story by Heinrich Heine, based on the folk legend of a sea-captain doomed to roam the seas for eternity. The second was an 1839 voyage that Wagner took on board the Thetis, a Norwegian ship, from Riga to London. The first performance took place at the Königliches Hoftheater in Dresden on January 2, 1843, under the baton of the composer. Expecting more of the pageantry and conflagration of RIENZI, the first Dresden audience reacted with indifference. The production lasted only four performances. In the 1870s, as listeners grew used to the innovations of his mature works, it finally grew in popularity and has become one of his most-performed operas today. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2(2nd dEH).2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp:Perc(1): Hp: Str(4.4.3.3.3 in set): Vocal soli (6 roles, SATTBB): Chorus: Banda (3Picc.6Hn.2Perc).