As the opening drama of the National Centre for the Performing Arts Opera Festival 2024, on the evening of April 10, the Wagner opera "The Wandering Dutchman" produced by the National Centre for the Performing Arts was staged.
"The Wandering Dutchman" has a simple and bizarre storyline, a cursed Dutchman captain who only briefly docks every seven years, despite his countless treasures but destined to wander alone at sea, the only way to escape the punishment is to get the heartfelt love of a woman, and he actually meets this woman, but after that, the two lovers go through the test brought to them by fate.
Under the baton of conductor Marcus Bosh, the NCPA Orchestra took the lead in playing an overture that condensed the musical thoughts of the whole play: the strings cascaded the roar of the sea, the horn played the atmosphere of the Dutchman's ship sailing from afar, and the beautiful melody of the English orchestra foreshadowed the fate of the heroine of the play, Shanta, and a profound tragedy of love and redemption unfolded.
As the curtain opened, the Norwegian ship in the huge waves appeared in front of the audience, in the singing of the sailors played by the National Centre for the Performing Arts Chorus, the captain Darand played by Russian singer Dimitry Ulianov and the Norwegian helmsman played by Wang Chong, an actor of the National Centre for the Performing Arts Opera Singers, took the lead in "boarding the ship", Wang Chong affectionately interpreted the sailor's longing for his hometown lover with a song "Helmsman's Song", but the dark shadow of a mysterious ship in the distance broke the sweet dream.
Later, the ship of the Dutchman with its red sails soared, and the Icelandic singer Olafur Sigurdassen's "Wandering Dutchman" slowly rose from the bow of the ship and sang the classic aria that all Wagnerian bass-baritones treasured, "The deadline has come, and seven years have passed", a deep and powerful chant that shows the philosophy of fate that Wagner poured into this role.
In the second act, the Swiss soprano Tiana Lamar plays the heroine Shanta, who plays the role of mezzo-soprano Sasha Cow, who plays the spinning lady Mary, and in a "ballade" about the legend that Dutch captains can only land once every seven years to find true love. Finnish tenor Thomas Katayara's role as Eric, a young hunter, also creates a heart-wrenching emotional conflict in this scene, setting the stage for the infinitely sublimated philosophical proposition of the third act.
The Wandering Dutchman is an important masterpiece of Wagner's maturing style, and the music and libretto are all written by the composer himself. In 2012, on the eve of the 200th anniversary of Wagner's birth, the National Centre for the Performing Arts dedicated "The Wandering Dutchman" to the audience as the first "tile opera" produced by the National Centre for the Performing Arts. The innovative staging of this edition creates a new viewing experience, with huge movable live-action ships and multi-angle projections that give the audience a sense of immersion, and these natural scenes that combine realism and freehand also symbolize the emotions of the characters in the play, passing between the scenes.
On the evening of April 11, the Dutchman played by German singer Thomas Kazeri, the soprano Song Yuanming played Shanta, the bass singer Zhang Wenwei played Darland, and the tenor singer Guo Zizhao played Eric will meet the audience. The play will run until April 14.
Photo by Ling Feng
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Tian Wanting
Editor/Cui Wei