Richard WAGNER (1813-1883)
Der Fliegende Holländer [167:00]
The Dutchman - Juha Uusitalo (bass-baritone)
Senta - Catherine Nagelstad (soprano)
Erik - Marco Jentzsch (tenor)
Daland - Robert Lloyd (bass)
Mary - Marina Prudenskaja (mezzo)
Steersman - Oliver Ringelhahn (tenor)
Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra/Hartmut Haenchen
Martin Kušej (stage director)
rec. live, Amsterdam Music Theatre, February 2010
Region Code: 0, Sound Formats: Dolby Digital Stereo. DTS 5.1, Screen 16:9
OPUS ARTE OA1049D [167:00]
The story of the Flying Dutchman is one of constant searching. He is
doomed to spend eternity looking for redemption, for love, for a home, for
belonging. Director Martin Kušej chooses to represent this story through
the very contemporary but somewhat clunky metaphor of displaced people seeking
a home in the West. In Kušej’s vision it is asylum seekers and
refugees who most closely resemble the Dutchman’s quest, hence the Dutchman
is a fixer who organises transport for these unfortunates, and his crew are
black-hooded immigrants seeking to get ashore safely. The set, consisting
of a mostly bare stage with a row of glass doors at the back, suggests a zone
at the front for the “haves” (Daland, his crew and his family)
and a zone at the back of the stage, beyond the glass doors for the “have
nots”, the Dutchman’s crew of hoodies. Then, surprisingly, the
situation is reversed for the final act when the Dutchman’s crew sit
impassively huddled together at the front of the stage while the hedonistic
westerners cavort and frolic behind a wire mesh. I guess there’s nothing
wrong with it as an idea, but my main problem was that I found it fundamentally
very reductive. Gone is the grandeur and passion of the Dutchman’s tragedy:
instead he is reduced to a slightly tawdry international trafficker whose
“death” at the end (I won’t spoil it) didn’t move
me or evoke much sympathy.
More effective was the treatment of the Westerners - it seems wrong, in the
context of this production, to call them Norwegians - as superficial, shallow
pleasure-seekers. Daland seems to be the captain of a cruise-ship whose disgruntled
passengers have become the victim of some very heavy turbulence. The Steersman
pinches the glittering jacket of one of the cabaret singers when it comes
to his aria in Act 1, suggesting his love of performing. Act 2 seems to be
set in a health spa, complete with swimming pool, populated by bored rich
ladies and WAGs in trashy costumes. Only Senta, dressed in black, stands out
from the crowd and represents traditional values by carrying on her spinning,
and she is ridiculed by all the others for doing so.
While the production may have holes, the singing is more than enough to carry
them. The towering Dutchman of Uusitalo is outstanding. He is one of a very
small number of baritones in the world today who can really make this role
come off. His voice has undeniable strength and power - just listen to his
revelation of his identity in Act 3 - but it is suffused with humanity throughout,
its softer edge reinforcing the character’s sympathy. His great Act
1 monologue is powerful and effecting, but also deeply moving and sympathetic.
Catherine Nagelstad is perhaps a surprising choice for Wagner, but her singing
as Senta is a revelation. She is a wonderfully convincing dramatic soprano,
and her entire interpretation builds to the climax of her final phrases in
Act 3 (sung with razor-sharp precision) but her voice never becomes too steely
and, like Uusitalo, hers is a character with whom the viewer can sympathise.
She sings the Act 2 narrative with dramatic lyricism and the moment when she
accepts the Dutchman’s proposal is thrilling. For the contribution of
these two, the extended duet at the end of the second act is the highlight
of the set.
In 2004 I attended a performance at the Royal Opera House which was supposed
to signal Robert Lloyd’s retirement from major roles. He has clearly
changed his mind as he is singing now as well as he has ever done. His Daland
is strong vigorous, and even quite funny in places. Lloyd never shirks the
idea that Daland is in it for the money, as his interactions with Senta and
the Dutchman in Act 2 confirm, but this seems to bring more wry humour than
censure. He is also a little foppish in Act 1 as the entertainment on his
cruise ship goes awry, but his singing treads the line between drama and levity
very well, and his sunglasses are a nice touch! Marco Jentzsch prowls around
the stage like a wild animal, suggesting an element of danger to Erik, a character
normally seen as a bit of a drip, though his singing has a rough edge and
lacks the lyricism of his colleagues. Mary’s plummy voice sticks out
a little, but the Steersman is ardent and compelling, though his humour perhaps
irks a little.
Hartmut Haenchen’s pacing of the score is just right, conducting the
storm scenes like psychological thrillers, while allowing the great dialogues
to unfold with a clear sense of drama, and the orchestra’s playing is
excellent. The choral singing is fantastic too, and they have a great time
bounding around the stage in their various guises. The sound and picture quality
is up to Opus Arte’s usual excellent standards and, another feature
we have come to expect and enjoy from them, the staging has been very effectively
re-imagined for a video audience. The waves of the sea sweep up over the title
menus and the prelude is played to the backdrop of a surging storm scene.
Furthermore, during the transitions the shots of the orchestra are in black
and white to reinforce how separate they are from the bright, colourful vision
of what is happening on stage. There is also a short (c. 20 minute) extra
feature featuring interviews with the cast and staging team, which is very
interesting and worth the time to view.
I enjoyed this film very much, mainly for the singing rather than the staging,
though if I wanted to introduce the Dutchman to a new audience, I think
I’d still point them to Harry Kupfer’s 1985 Bayreuth staging,
available on Deutsche Grammophon, still with the power to astonish 25 years
later.
Simon Thompson
I enjoyed this film very much, mainly for the singing rather than the staging.