Premiere: Der fliegende Holländer

Premiere | Opera House, Main Stage
Sunday 26 January 2014 at 15:00
Performances: 26, 28, 30 January, 02, 04, 08, 18, 21, 25, 28 February

Wagner’s first major opera success, starring a lovelorn, ghostly captain, will be featured for the first time at the Opera House in Copenhagen, staged by the celebrated British actor and director Jonathan Kent. The Royal Danish Opera’s charismatic soloists Johan Reuter and John Lundgren will offer their own respective portrayals of the spellbound Dutchman, condemned to sail the seven seas until a woman, faithful to him unto death, releases him from the curse.

Director Jonathan Kent has decided to shift the focus from the Dutchman to the opera’s female protagonist, Senta. He tells the story as seen through her ​​eyes:

“In this production, we have made Senta the protagonist, rather than the Dutchman. We examine the intolerable conflict for her between reality and illusion, as she creates the tragic Dutchman in her imagination to compensate for her sense of isolation and the feeling of abandonment by her father. The illusory Dutchman becomes an escape from the crudely banal and debilitating life she is surrounded by. In the end, that conflict becomes untenable - her imagined life cannot sustain her and reality claims her at a terrible cost.  Her's is the tragedy of the outsider,” says Jonathan Kent.

The role of Senta is performed by three Wagner sopranos, all of whom have made their mark on the international opera stage: Danish Ann Petersen, German Manuela Uhl – and Irish Orla Boylan, who will replace Iréne Theorin, who has had to cancel her appearance. The title role as the Dutchman will be performed alternately by Johan Reuter, who has great experience with the role, which he has performed at the Deutsche Opera in Berlin, the Staatsoper in Munich and the Teatro Real in Madrid, among other places, and John Lundgren, who most recently offered a harrowing interpretation of Amfortas in Wagner’s Parsifal at the Royal Danish Opera. Also appearing are Clive Bayley/Gregory Frank (Daland), Niels Jørgen Riis/Johnny van Hal (Erik), Gert-Henning Jensen/Michael Kristensen (Steersman), and Ulla Kudsk Jensen (Mary).

Accompanying the soloists are The Royal Danish Orchestra and The Royal Danish Opera Chorus, helmed by the Royal Danish Theatre’s principal conductor Michael Boder.

Co-production with the English National Opera. Nykredit is the exclusive performance sponsor of Der fliegende Holländer. The Danish Research Foundation is the principal sponsor of the Royal Danish Opera.

For further information or appointment for interviews/ press coverage, please contact Public Relations Manager Louise Pedersen at Tel- +45 33696988/mobile +45 40530035 or email lope@kglteater.dk

Kind regards
The Press Department
The Royal Danish Theatre
Email: presse@kglteater.dk
Tel.: +45 33696983
Web: kglteater.dk