To some, nothing is more frightening than opera, especially German opera. If that’s how you view opera than prepare to be extremely frightened as we look at Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Höllander).

This opera is about a ghostly sea captain doomed to sail the seas with his crew until the pure love of a woman can redeem him. At the beginning of the opera, The Dutchman enlists the help of a living captain, Daland, whose daughter, Senta, becomes interested in the strange visitor. Meanwhile, a huntsman named Erik is attempting to court Senta. Finally, the Dutchman’s secret is revealed, and he sets out to sea. Erik and Daland restrain Senta from following; however, she breaks free and dives off a cliff into the sea in an act of true love for the Dutchman. The ghost ship and crew sink, and the Dutchman and Senta are united in love forever.

The Flying Dutchman was a relatively early opera of Wagner’s but began to develop a theme that finds its place in several of his works. This idea is that true love is found or expressed in death, Liebestod in German or Love-Death. Romeo and Juliet can be considered an example of this idea. Wagner’s appreciation of the dramatic found great pleasure with this idea.

When listening to The Flying Dutchman, be attentive for recurring musical ideas. In Wagner’s operas, the music served to provide the underlying thoughts and motives of the characters on stage. His use of short melodic or thematic parts is called leitmotifs. Two motifs that are important throughout the opera are the Dutchman motif and the Redemption motif. Listen to these motifs below then enjoy the overture in the playlist to the right.