OperaUpClose is in the initial stages of creating a new English-language version of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman (1843), or Der fliegende Holländer in the original German, set to premiere in 2022.
The opera is based on the legend of the cursed ship the Flying Dutchman, which is doomed to sail the seas for all eternity, coming to port only once every seven years. This new production is the first of Wagner’s operas to be performed by OperaUpClose, following a foray into the composer’s work as part of the company’s Coffee Break Concerts series which took place online over the summer.
OperaUpClose is known for producing contemporary opera, as well as new versions of the classics. Accordingly, this ground-breaking re-imagining of Wagner’s ghostly tale of redemption through love will have a new orchestration by composer Laura Bowler and a new English libretto by librettist, novelist and poet Glyn Maxwell. It will be directed by theatre and opera director Lucy Bradley.
In another first, OperaUpClose will be offering audiences unique access to the development of the production, right from the earliest stages of the creative process. Over the next 18 months, viewers will be able to watch as the production comes to life via online platforms including Zoom.
Events will include conversations with the creative team, discussions of Wagner’s music by the performing artists and insights into how to go about re-imagining Wagner’s opera as a piece of intimate chamber music-drama.
Tickets for these online recording will be free, but must be booked in advance via the company’s website.
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OperaUpClose is set to stage its first-ever Wagner opera, with a new production of The Flying Dutchman.