M. Riber himself produced Der fliegende Hollander to universal acclaim in 1974. For his new production (January 20) he decided to give the opera in Wagner’s single act. The only disadvantage to this is the constraint placed on the design for the second act. Here the huge stage seemed deserted, with only a handful of spinning wheels, one armchair and a portrait of the Dutchman — hardly ‘a spacious room in Daland’s house’. Otherwise Pier Luigi Pizzi’s sets and costumes were impressive. The arrival of the Dutchman’s ship in the first act, with its gilded figure-head and billowing red sail, was a genuine coup de theatre.
In the pit, Horst Stein galvanised the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande into creating a series of aural marine vignettes. The cast was, once more, outstanding, from Karl Ridderbusch’s warmly human Daland to Leif Roar’s disquieting nobility in the title-role and the generous-toned Senta of Maria Slatinaru (though she also has an admirable mezza-voce). Robert Schunk was a vocally excellent Erik and Livia Budai an amusing Mary. Ernst Dieter Suttheimer’s combination of amazing physical agility (he scaled the rigging with ease) and vocal prowess made him a notable Steersman.
ANDRE HUNZIKER