Premiered in 1843, Wagner’s first great opera, and his most concise, looks back to the Gothic mysteries of his youth and forward to the penetrating psychological dramas he would later craft. Love, greed, hubris and obsession drive a narrative shaped by the sea and those whose lives depend on it, opening with a violent storm in which echoes of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Weber can be heard, and punctuated by folk-like ballads for the sailors and the women who wait for their return. Cursed to sail for eternity with his ghostly crew, the Dutchman can only be redeemed by the love of a faithful woman. Daland’s daughter Senta, betrothed to Erik, is shocked to recognise the Dutchman from an ancient painting acquired by her grandmother. Their love is instant, but will it be strong enough to lift the Dutchman’s curse?

Wagner: The Flying Dutchman (at Opera Holland Park)

Opera Holland Park

The composer dubbed 'Mr Crescendo' gets this afternoon's concert under way. The whole of Rossini's opera The Italian Girl in Algiers is still regularly staged, unlike many other operas where only the overtures get performed nowadays. The overture begins with a slow introduction featuring an exposed oboe solo. Then, as one might expect, momentum and volume soon increase and we're off in typical Rossini fashion racing towards the finish line.

RTWSO: Rossini, Beethoven, Sibelius

Assembly Hall Theatre

Richard Wagner’s epic tale of love, feuding families, betrayal and retribution in a concert performance by the London Opera Company with full orchestra, as they return to Smith Square Hall following their triumphant and critically acclaimed Tristan und Isolde and Die Walküre.

Peter Selwyn

Events

Past events

May 27 - Jun 14, 2025

Wagner: The Flying Dutchman (at Opera Holland Park) · City of London Sinfonia

Feb 2, 2025

RTWSO: Rossini, Beethoven, Sibelius · Assembly Hall Theatre

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in The Flying Dutchman by Wagner

City of London Sinfonia

Conductor in Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers by

Assembly Hall Theatre

Conductor in Violin Concerto in D major by

Assembly Hall Theatre

Conductor in Symphony No. 2 in D major by

Assembly Hall Theatre

About

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