Starring multiple Grammy Award-winning baritone Ryan Speedo Green (“… extraordinary emotional depth and eloquence” Bachtrack) , The Flying Dutchman returns to The Atlanta Opera stage. The dramatic mythic sweep of Wagner’s masterpiece is balanced against human tragedy and the brutal realities of everyday life. The Dutchman is doomed to wander the seas until he can find a faithful wife. A sailor’s daughter is doomed to an arranged marriage, but can’t shake her obsession with The Dutchman. Can true love change the course of their fates? This production brings the ancient ghost story to the stage with a modern perspective, captivating audiences with stunning visuals and a brilliant cast. A Tomer Zvulun production. Overture A raging storm from which the Dutchman’s theme emerges. As the storm calms, Senta’s peaceful theme is played on woodwinds and horns. Act I – A rocky seacoast Daland’s ship has dropped anchor, and as they furl the sails, the Norwegian sailors chant Hohohe! Hallohe! Daland, who has been ashore to reconnoiter, appears to announce they have been blown seven miles off course. He tells the crew to get some rest. As the Steersman keeps watch, he sings of seeing his girlfriend again after surviving the terrible storm (Mit Gewitter und Sturm — Through thunder and storm). He falls asleep. Once more the storm begins to rage and a red-sailed ship, the “Flying Dutchman”, appears. In silence the sails are furled and its captain, the Dutchman, comes ashore. In a long monologue (Die Frist ist um — The time is up), he explains how a curse has forced him to sail continuously, able to come ashore only once every seven years to seek redemption. He has often sought death by plunging into the sea or driving onto reefs but to no avail. Was the angel who won him a means of deliverance only mocking him? His only hope is the coming of the Day of Judgment. Daland, from the deck of his ship, sees the Flying Dutchman, hails its master, and asks if his ship was also damaged in the
