Der Fliegende Holländer

Photograph Antoni Bofill

(The Flying Dutchman)
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Barcelona Spain

Here in New York, going to the Met so often, I rarely get to see very modern productions of operas by Wagner or nearly anyone else, actually. This was a very modern production. I found it to be a good (and perhaps unforgettable) vehicle for the themes and the story with the exception of one scene where I think the women of the town were supposed to be on spinning wheels (according to the libretto), but were instead set in a factory. The text was a rough match for what was portrayed at this point, but the first scene set on modern ships was powerful and felt rather accurate.

The audience was different than American audiences. For instance, when someone coughed near me people really went overboard with the shushing and motioning for the person to leave. It was hard core. More than that, though, was my interest in a man who remained true to his ears and heart and booed the production and one of the singers with passion at the end (woof, woof, woof). I realized that in America we just don't boo enough. Sometimes things should be booed. Everything is not worthy of polite applause. Sometimes, maybe, we should throw some rotten tomatoes. Like at the soprano. It was almost unbelievable that she had been cast, as she (Susan Anthony) was simply not anywhere near professional standards. Fine actress, terrible voice, at least the night I saw it.

On the other hand, the star of the evening was probably Kurt Streit as Eric. He gave a beautiful performance as the man in love with Senta.

The performance had a stronger emphasis on acting, over singing, than I've seen in any productions stateside. Additionally, the singers were cast appropriate to looks and body type as much as anything. The production worked from an acting perspective, certainly.

At the end of the night, though, the production felt like it had been a bit uneven. It was not stellar, certainly not worthy of a standing ovation. But, it had some good moments and some bad ones. The orchestra was not quite as strong as the Met orchestra, but they persevered well enough through the evening. Professional, just not amazing. Those words might sum up most of the entire evening.