The Metropolitan Opera: Der Fliegende Hollander

About the Event

Experience opera like never before in this astonishing performance of masterworks by Wagner at New York's remarkable Metropolitan Opera House.

Der Fliegende Hollander

The Flying Dutchman is a romantic opera in three acts by Richard Wagner, who wrote both the music and libretto. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in Dresden in 1843 and was a moderate success.

Wagner drew his inspiration from a stormy and dangerous voyage from Riga to London that he undertook with his wife – an adventure that exposed him to the power of the sea. Bringing the legend of the Flying Dutchman to operatic life, the action was originally set in Scotland, but shortly before the premiere, Wagner reset the work in a Norwegian coastal village.

A Dutch sea captain, caught in a punishing storm, blasphemed against God. Cursed to sail the seas for all eternity, he is allowed to land once every seven years. To break the curse, he must find a woman who will remain true to him until death.