The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner, Essay Example

About the Composer

Wilhelm Richard Wagner is a German composer, polemicist as well as a theatre director noted for his music dramas that he created in line with rich harmony, orchestration and extensive complex texture that speaks directly to the audience. Notably, Wagner has been notably trained in the arts by his step father Ludwig Geyer. Having close relationship with his step father, he was also able to share this man’s love for theatre and the performing art. After the death of his step father, Wagner did not let go of his desire to learn more about theatre arts, instead, he insisted on persuading his family to allow him to get music lessons. Given the chance to do so, Wagner tried the best he could to pick whatever particular lesson he could get and learn as much as possible even from Christian homes that provided free music lessons to individuals his age.

Impressed by the works of Mozart and Beethoven, Wagner tried to write his own version of the 9^th symphony from Beethoven. At this point, he patterned most of his works on the excellent works of Beethoven and Mozart as he created his first piano sonatas. As he grew older, he familiarized himself with the different forms of acting performances as he went from one theatre to another trying to decipher the different acting patterns of the actors that he utilized as inspiration to the first operas he was trying to create. The first opera he ever worked on was the Die Hochzeit or The Wedding. Although he was never able to complete this work, it spearheaded his desire to create an operatic story that would surely be represented on the stage in an outstanding performance by specifically outstanding actors he had in mind.

Historical Background of the Opera

Among the first works that spearheaded Wagner’s career as a composer and theatre director is hat of The Flying Dutchman. The inspiration in writing this opera was that of the journey he had in the stormy sea between Riga to London between the months of July and August in 1939. Taking particular roots from the original writings of Heinrich Heine, The Flying Dutchman defined a journey that was centralized on the idea of redeeming a lost love. Based on a romantic setup, this play tries to explore the different elements that are present both in romanticism and adventure stories that Wagner specifically wanted to portray for his audiences.

The one-act opera was a result of a struggling point in Wagner’s career as his creation was later on disregarded by the Court Theatre in Riga when they disapproved the production Rienzi, Wagner’s first composition prior to The Flying Dutchman. Wagner did not lose hope though and pursued to create one more operatic story that was based on Heine’s adventure notes on a man who was cursed to sail out in the sea because of blasphemy. This man could only be redeemed by the love of a woman who has always been faithful to him in loving him and hoping for his return. Although Heine’s version was more on the satiric side of the presentation, Wagner took this directly and used it as a literal representation of sincere romantic relationship between two departed lovers.

The libretto of the opera has been completed in 1841 and the musical arrangements have been completed a yr before that. Among the songs included in the opera presentation is that of the Steersman, leave the Watch; a Norwegian sailors song which was supposed to be performed in Act 3 of the presentation. The first songs were created as audition pieces as a sense of trying out their impact on the target public for audience. The entire opera arrangement has been completed in November 1841. While the plan was to create the opera based on a one-act drama, Wager created a three-act performance that would make a more responding representation of the different situations that the sailor had to deal with in his journey. This created a more in depth representation of the theme that he wants to suggest to his audience, a matter that specifically convinces a sense of sincere romance between the main characters who were defined as the primary actors of the opera.

Musical Style Description

As related earlier, most of Wagner’s first works were defined by his dependence on other composers’ works such as Beethoven and Mozart. Using these points of inspiration, he manifests a sense of non-original stance in making a name for his own. However, the situation was different for the Flying Dutchman. As if trying to transform his reputation from one aspect to another, Wagner tried out a completely different approach to musical arrangement for this particular operatic presentation. Utilizing powerful music to impose emotional burdens on the Dutchman as he tries to complete his journey created a specific impact on how the audience understood the message of each act as it transforms from scene to another. The musical arrangement has been convincingly one of the elemental factors that made this particular performance a worthy two-hour watch. Both dramatic and passionate, the musical scoring that Wagner used to define the being of the Dutchman, his desires, his thoughts and his emotions specifically spoke directly to the audience. It was the originality of the musical rendering of this creation that specifically made it an extraordinary work from an extraordinary composer of his time.

Scene Creation (Act1: The homeward journey)

Costumes and Settings

Compelled to represent an adventure that is taking its toll on the sailor, the costumes for this particular scene should represent a sense of stress and struggle on the actor, the Dutchman. Prior to this is the scene were Daland [the Dutchman] tricks a stranger causing him to agree on a marriage between Daland and his daughter in exchange for a chest of gold treasures. During this scene, the costumes ought to suggest that Daland have the capability to respond to such a promise hence should be dressed in a much convincing way. The colour transitions between the said scenes ought to define the change of status that Daland takes as he begins the course by which he is to sail under the curse of his blasphemous decisions which shall be duly shown in the following act.

Production Process

Text and Music 

 The beginning of the act specifically requires strong definition of the Dutchman. It shall carry a strong indication on what the being of the Dutchman is and how specific decisions changed his status in life. To note, the aria of this particular act should be set in a way that the time is represented to have come while seven years have already passed suggesting a back to the past presentation of the musical rendering of the act. Opening with the song of the helmsman entitled With Tempest and Storm on Distant Seas, this scene should create an indication on how different Daland was with the helmsman and why Daland did deserve to receive punishment.

Visual

As mentioned earlier, this act is supposed to present a scene of transition between the able-bodied Daland and the state of being the flying Dutchman that he has become after the curse has been placed upon his head. In relation to this, the visuals shall then render dim lights at the beginning, a bit lighter shades of colour in the middle and then a return to dim lighting at the end of the act. These visual changes shall further define the pattern of transition that the journey of the Flying Dutchman took within this single act alone.

Purpose and Message of the Scene

This act hopes to present the flying Dutchman and create a definite source of understanding on the part of the audience as they try to decipher the reason behind the curse that has been placed upon him. It also imposes to create a connection between the first act as it transcends to the second act which focuses more on his journey and his struggles during the said time. Relatively, this act hopes to manifest an introductory definition of the flying Dutchman as a person and not just a blasphemer as he is presented in the whole story.

References

Millington, Barry (Ed.) (1992), The Wagner Compendium: A Guide to Wagner’s Life and Music. Thames and Hudson Ltd., London.

Gregor-Dellin, Martin (1983) Richard Wagner: his life, his work, his Century, p. 106. William Collins.