Charting new waters: The Flying Dutchman brings Wagner back to Ireland

A fully staged Wagner opera in Ireland is as rare as a phoenix’s feather. The Flying Dutchman, which opened last night, marked a thrilling first for the Irish National Opera, the company’s inaugural venture into the Wagnerian repertoire, co-produced with Garsington Opera. Remarkably, the last Wagner opera staged in Ireland was more than 13 years ago. Judging by the palpable excitement shared by both the audience and performers, one can only hope it won’t be another decade before Ireland is graced with Wagner again.

Director Rachael Hewer’s approach is refreshingly straightforward; she allows the opera’s narrative to speak for itself, resisting the urge to impose any heavy-handed meta-narrative. Updating the setting to a 1950s fishing village, where commerce and community are inextricably linked, Hewer’s focus subtly shifts from the Dutchman to the female protagonist, Senta, and her agency in the Dutchman’s ultimate fate.

The prelude opens with a young Senta learning the folklore surrounding the Dutchman, establishing the deep-rooted obsession that drives her actions in Act 2. In the harrowing final moments of the opera, it is the adult Senta who throws herself into the sea, only for the drowned young Senta to be pulled from the waters. This suggests that the entire narrative may exist in the realm of Senta’s imagination, a fantastical reimagining in which she willingly sacrifices herself to save the Dutchman’s tormented soul.

Francis O’Connor’s set design is minimalist but effective. Dominated by a backdrop of billowing sails representing the ghostly ship, the stage is tilted, evoking a sense of instability. A solitary mast, a lookout post with precarious steps and occasional sparse props reinforce the spectral atmosphere. The costumes are equally evocative, with sailors clad in oilskins and sou’westers, while the women are outfitted in fishmongers’ coats and wellies. Senta, however, is dressed demurely in 1950s fashion. The Dutchman, as befits someone who is cursed to sail the seas till judgement day, is attired in apparel from a few centuries ago.

The vocal performances from the principals and chorus were uniformly engaging. Jordan Shanahan imbued the Dutchman with both power and pathos, his voice rich and resonant across all registers. His portrayal was marked by a noble sadness, particularly in Acts 2 and 3, where his recounting of his plight was poignant, yet he also demonstrated a surprising lightness in his playful inquiries about Daland’s daughter in Act 1.

Giselle Allen’s Senta was equally compelling. While her voice took some time to settle, her wide vibrato occasionally overshadowing her passionate declarations in her ballad, she was nonetheless deeply affecting in the final act where her portrayal of Senta’s regret over her former love, Erik, and her single-minded devotion to the Dutchman conveyed a powerful emotional depth.

Toby Spence’s Erik, though a secondary romantic figure, was no less impressive. His tenor voice was striking in its raw power and his dramatic portrayal captured Erik’s desperation with palpable intensity. As Senta’s father, Daland, James Creswell brought a delightful comedic energy to the role, his diction clear and his lower register robust.

The INO Chorus, divided between sailors, ghostly off-stage crew and the fishmonger women, delivered a performance full of vitality. The sailors’ mockery of the Dutchman’s crew and their later surprise, combined with lively choreography, added both texture and verve to the production. Holding it altogether in the pit, conductor Fergus Sheil drew out the full emotional and musical richness of Wagner’s score. While there were occasional intonation issues in the horns, the INO Orchestra’s performance was otherwise a resounding success, capturing the excitement and drama of the work with aplomb.

In the end, this Flying Dutchman proved to be a captivating, triumphant debut for Irish National Opera’s exploration of Wagner. The resounding takeaway is clear: Ireland deserves more Wagner – sooner rather than later.