The Flying Dutchman

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Sun 07 Jul 2024 - Sat 13 Jul 2024

This Birmingham production of Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman aims to make opera accessible to people who may not necessarily think of themselves as an opera fan.

By choosing Wagner’s tale of the tormented Dutchman cursed to sail the seas forever unless he can be saved by true love, the producers Persona Arts have gone for a story packed with drama and passion and a stunningly beautiful score.



The production, at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Bradshaw Hall and directed by Iqbal Khan, is a concert performance with little staging and costume but the space is ideal for this as much of the audience is so close to the drama that it is impossible not to become invested in the story.

Featuring professional singers in the lead roles, the production also includes a community chorus – giving people a chance to have a go at performing opera before an audience. And it works well with the leads confident and experienced in their roles and the chorus full of enthusiasm.

Byron Jackson’s Dutchman is a tormented soul who has little faith he will ever see his curse lifted. Even when the Dutchman bribes a ship’s captain with a bag of jewels in return for the promise of his daughter Senta’s hand in marriage, the sailor still seems doubtful she will love him enough to save him. Jackson never lets up on the agony – we feel his inevitable fate with every step he takes.

Mari Wyn Williams gives us a Senta who is ready to spurn her lover Erik for an idealized dream that she can save the Dutchman with her love. Even before she met him, she had been entranced by his story - enough to throw away both her happiness in the village and eventually her life.



Erik is played by Anando Mukerjee as a lovesick villager determined to keep Senta by his side. His Act Three aria in which he begs her to remain with him is a highlight of the show.

Wagner’s tale is full of tragedy but there is a touch of humour provided by Gerrit Paul Groen in the role of Senta’s father Daland. Motivated by greed for the jewels the Dutchman offers, he panders his daughter, almost pushing the couple together with a good deal of wink-wink.

Conductor Jack Ridley wrings every note of Wagner’s majestic score out of the Central England Camerata so that simply listening to the music is a joy. He is also a torrent of energy, encouraging the community choir so that, if I’m not mistaken, he sings along with the men’s chorus at times.

The staging doesn’t always work. At the beginning of Act Three when the ghost sailors on the Dutchman’s ship finally awaken, their sense of longing and desperation is lost in the over-zealous sound effects of the storm and confusion about where the second ship would actually be. The concert performance at this point would benefit from two very distinct sets of sailors as in its current form it may not make sense for anyone who doesn’t know the story.

The opera is sung in German with surtitles which failed for a time during Act One at the premiere but hopefully, that technical halt will have been sorted for future performances.

Essentially this is a lively production of a great opera classic. Bringing together experienced and community performers gives it an added edge.

The performance also features a new commission from Birmingham composer Bobbie-Jane Gardner. Mami Wata, tells the story of a dangerous water spirit and picks up both the themes and some of the melodies of Wagner’s piece so is an ideal accompaniment. It is sung beautifully by children of St Mary’s Church Handsworth Choir.

Staging opera in German as a community endeavour is a brave move for Persona Arts - it will be interesting to see their next steps.

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