The Flying Dutchman at Opera Holland Park review: ambitious and intense

Any company planning a Richard Wagner staging would be well advised to proceed with caution; they’re among the biggest challenges in the repertoire. Opera Holland Park has indeed adopted a cautious approach: the company was formed in 1996 but is only now staging its first Wagner opera. Wisely, it has opted for The Flying Dutchman, Wagner’s fourth opera (premiered in 1843), rather than any of his far bulkier later works.

Not that the opera is lightweight. It’s a substantial retelling of the myth of a sailor – the unnamed Dutchman – who commits the sin of blasphemy. He is condemned to sail the oceans forever, only touching land once every seven years in search of a good woman whose love will redeem him. As is often the case in 19th century opera, the good woman – Senta, already betrothed to another man – must pay the price of the Dutchman’s redemption with her own life.