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Decca5
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer
Lise Davidsen, soprano; Gerald Finley, bass-baritone; Brindley Sherratt, bass; Stanislas de Barbeyrac and Eirik Grøtvedt, tenors; Anna Kissjudit, mezzo-soprano; Orchestra and Chorus of Norwegian National Opera, Edward Gardner, conductor
Decca, 2025
Of the 13 operas Wagner composed, his fourth—Der fliegende Holländer, also known as The Flying Dutchman, and premiered in1843)—was his first hit. Legend has it that Wagner and his wife Minna, on their way from Germany to England in 1839, were stranded in southeastern Norway when the ship they were on encountered a fierce storm. This experience provided Wagner with the inspiration for this opera.
Holländer is the most popular Wagner opera, based on its number of performances worldwide. According to statistics kept by Operabase over the past 30 years, it is the 28th most performed opera in the world, with 4,932 performances and 1,119 productions. It beats other popular Wagner operas such as Tristan und Isolde (#37), Tannhaüser (#39), and Die Walküre (#40).
It’s also one of the most recorded of Wagner’s operas, with more than 50 complete recordings, both studio and live performances. Wagnerites are fiercely opinionated when it comes to choosing their favourites. That said, I think most would agree that the great Sentas over the years include Kirsten Flagstad, Astrid Varnay, Leonie Rysanek, Anja Silja, Hildegard Behrens, the pre-wobble Gwyneth Jones, Julia Varady, and Cheryl Studer.
Well, move over ladies, there is a new Senta in town! It’s Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen. In terms of pure voice, her Senta is to my ears the best. As for characterization, Davidsen gives her predecessors a run for their money. This CD represents Davidsen’s first—and supposedly last—Senta; she’s quoted as saying that she’s putting it aside in favour of other Wagner heroines. Well, it’s a shame, and I hope the incredible reception it’s getting will change her mind.
It’s not easy to sing opposite such a powerhouse, but Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley is an exceptionally fine Dutchman. I happened to be in Munich to interview him and hear his Amfortas in Parsifal, mere days before this recording in Oslo. His warm and beautiful bass-baritone is ideal. As Dutchman, his exemplary dramatic acuity and heartfelt sincerity makes him unforgettable in a role that he has made his own.
The rest of the cast is first-rate, especially the gorgeous lyric tenor of Eirik Grøtvedt as the Steuermann (or Steersman). Also very fine is the Erik of Stanislas de Barbeyrac, coping well with the high tessitura in the duet. As Daland, Brindley Sherratt’s bass is a bit unsteady at the start but just fine after warming up. His tone is perhaps not ideally fresh, but it has plenty of gravitas as Senta’s father. The low mezzo of Anna Kissjudit works well for Mary. The chorus is hugely important in this opera, and the Norwegian National Opera’s is splendid.
This Holländer is drawn from two live concert performances that took place in August 2024 at the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo. The recorded sound is excellent, with little ambient noise and zero applause; you’d never guess it was performed to a full house. With these two performances, British conductor Edward Gardner made an auspicious debut as the new music director of the Norwegian National Opera. He coaxes exciting, big sound from the orchestra which is always lyrical and never bombastic. All in all, one of the very best Wagner opera recordings to emerge in recent years and highly recommended.
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