The Flying Dutchman by Wagner, From (2024/2024), Directed by Paul Curran,, Conductor Artem Abashev, Michael Güttler, Ekaterinburg Opera, Ekaterinburg, Russia

Had it not been for Richard Wagner, on his way from Riga to London, to get into a terrible storm at sea, the opera house would have missed one of the masterpieces: the echoes of that storm can be heard today in The Flying Dutchman. The opera is based on the legend of a ghost ship that roams the seas without shelter. Once every seven years, the captain of the ship, Holland, is allowed to go ashore, and if there he meets a girl who is ready to become his wife forever, he will be saved. The Flying Dutchman was staged at the Ural Opera for the first time, appearing in the repertoire for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Wagner, the composer who in the second half of the 19th century drastically changed the path of development of the European opera theater. According to English director Paul Curran, this is “a story about love, freedom and duty. And also about the fact that if you go against the crowd, then you need to be very strong. His performance is laconic, severe and full of romantic pathos - in perfect harmony with the music of Wagner, the syllable of ancient legends and the stormy spirit of the northern seas.