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Preparing for The Flying Dutchman

As we get ready to open The Flying Dutchman, we asked director Annabel Arden to tell us more about her inspirations for this new production and what she hopes people will take away from it.

“I am celebrating more than thirty years of working at Opera North where I have been able to take more creative risks than anywhere else, supported by a truly creative company, and a fabulous audience. This production of the Flying Dutchman is no exception.

 

The Flying Dutchman by Charles Temple Dix

“While remaining true to the musical and narrative meaning of Wagner’s work, at the same time, our production has also been informed by many contemporary conversations. One of these has been with the people seeking asylum here in Leeds with whom Opera North engages as part of their community work. While the story of the Dutchman – who seeks rest and a home through the heroine Senta’s absolute acceptance of, and loyalty to, him – operates in a very different way, it still held resonance for the people we shared it with. They have contributed generously to our work.

“This was one part of our research. We also looked at the many myths, and re-telling of those myths, which surround and inform the piece, such as Heine’s Dutchman story, Kafka’s writings and the theatrical traditions of dream and the surreal. The Flying Dutchman is a complex work. It asks many questions about human behaviours and revels in the theatricality of layers of meaning.

Richard Farnes conducts the Orchestra of Opera North in Parsifal © Tom Arber

“We hope you will be as excited as we are by Wagner’s work, and at the same time, see the connections and resonances it shares with our world today. People have asked a great deal about the interpretation. For me, it is simply a production which offers multiple lenses through which to experience this much-loved classic.”

The Flying Dutchman opens at Leeds Grand Theatre on Saturday 1 February. After its run in Leeds, the production tours to Newcastle Theatre Royal, Lowry in Salford, Theatre Royal in Nottingham and Hull New Theatre.

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