Vancouver Opera will close out its 2022-2023 season with Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman in a new production conceived by director Brian Deedrick.
“Having a new interpretation of one of Wagner’s most dynamic works ending our season is very fitting,” says Tom Wright, Vancouver Opera’s general director. “The creativity going into this production is sure to entice fans of Wagner and those seeking an operatic adventure. Our creative team, being led by Brian Deedrick, is building a magical and fantastical world through projection, costumes and lighting.”
Based on a European maritime legend, The Flying Dutchman tells the story of a man cursed to wander the seas for eternity and a woman whose self-sacrifice is his only chance at redemption. This tragic love story is widely considered to be the composer’s first masterpiece.
“A feast of music, sight and sound, there is absolutely nothing like Wagner’s early masterpiece, and my favourite, The Flying Dutchman,” says Deedrick. “My third time out, I’m really excited to be working with a whole new team of designers and singers to bring this wildly-different new production to Vancouver audiences. Longing, love, obsession, death, destruction and hints of the supernatural, all wrapped up in some of the most glorious music ever written. I mean, how can you not fall in love with Dutchman? And whether it’s you’re first or fifty-first time, what with the big stories, big pictures and big music, how can you not fall in love with opera.”
Vancouver Opera presents The Flying Dutchman at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (630 Hamilton St, Vancouver) on April 29, May 4 & 7. Visit vancouveropera.ca for tickets and information.