Legendary ghost ship will sail into Denver Feb. 24, for four performances

By Peter Alexander Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m.

Never mind the forecast; there will be stormy seas in Denver the end of February and early March.

At least there will be on the stage of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, where Opera Colorado will present Richard Wagner’s Fliegende Holländer (Flying Dutchman) for a total of four performances opening Feb. 24 (7:30 pm. Saturday; subsequent performances Feb. 27, March 1 and 3 are listed below). Performances under the musical direction of Ari Pelto will feature Norwegian baritone Olafur Sigurdarson in the title role and American soprano Marcy Stonikas as Senta.

Wagner wrote The Flying Dutchman in 1840 and ’41 while he was living in Paris. He wrote the text, based on a story by Heinrich Heine, and the music, setting a pattern that he would follow in his subsequent music dramas. Afterwards he wrote to his friends, “From here begins my career as poet, and my farewell to the mere concoctor of opera-texts.”

The 1843 premiere in Dresden was conducted by Wagner himself. Modestly successful at the first performance, The Flying Dutchman is generally regarded as Wagner’s first mature work. It is considered an opera, while his later works are classified as music dramas, a more thorough synthesis of music, text, setting and other dramatic elements.

The opera enacts the tale of a ship’s captain who is condemned to sail the seas for eternity, until he is redeemed by the love of a woman. Allowed to land only once every seven years, the Dutchman encounters an avaricious Norwegian sea captain, Daland, and his dreamy daughter Senta, who has long been fascinated by a portrait of the Dutchman hanging in her home. For different reasons, both are eager to make the wealthy Dutchman part of the family through marriage, and in the end Senta makes the ultimate sacrifice, freeing the Dutchman from his curse.

The music that opens the opera was inspired by a stormy voyage Wagner had taken from Riga to London. This powerful opening has made the Overture to The Flying Dutchman a popular staple of the orchestral repertoire.

Opera Colorado has assembled an appealing cast for their production. Sigudarson has sung Wagner roles at Bayreuth and the Metropolitan Opera, among other houses, and other major roles throughout Europe. Stonikas has won several vocal competitions and sung leading roles at Seattle Opera. Cast as Daland, bass Harold Wilson has extensive Metropolitan Opera roles to his credit, and sang at Deutsche Opera Berlin for five seasons. Another Met veteran, Chad Shelton takes the leading tenor role of Erik.

# # # # #

Opera Colorado, Ari Pelto, conductor
Kathleen Smith Belcher, stage director; Alan E. Muraoka, set designer

• Richard Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, Tuesday, Feb, 27, and Friday, March 1
2 p.m. Sunday, March 3
Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Complex

Sung in German with English and Spanish subtitles at each seat.

TICKETS