This live recording of Richard Wagner’s Der fliegende Hollander was made at the 2013 Beyreuth Fetival. This performance of Wagner’s opera, which tells the story...

This live recording of Richard Wagner’s Der fliegende Hollander was made at the 2013 Beyreuth Fetival. This performance of Wagner’s opera, which tells the story of Daland, a Norwegian sea captain who just before reaching home is blown off course by a violent storm, received glowing reviews from the press. “The excellent Mr. Youn… sings with dignity touched with anguish… Merbeth… brings a big, penetrating voice to the role… Selig is a powerhouse Daland… Bruns brings an ardent voice and impetuosity to the Steersman… Thielemann… drew pulsing, dynamic and transparent playing from the… Orchestra… the result was music making of overwhelming naturalness.” (The New York Times) “… one revels in Christian Thielemann’s masterly handling of the Overture’s tempo modifications and thereafter, the lustrous sonorities that support the singers in this single-act version of the opera.” (Gramophone) “Christian Thielemann and das Festspielorchester received the biggest cheers, and rightly so: their account- thrillingly intense and demonic, while respecting of the sweeter passages- was superlative.” (The Financial Times).

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REVIEW:

Samuel Youn as the Dutchman is firmly centred, steady as a rock, and also displays a close engagement with the text. His German is sometimes rather suspect sounding to me - with my unidiomatic command of the language - as if he mangles both vowel sounds and consonants in places, but non-German-speakers will delight in the tonal variety he produces.

Christian Thielemann intends to stamp his authority on things, with a strongly romantic performance that makes very little concession to notions of early nineteenth century style. His approach pays rich dividends throughout in illuminating details of the score in a manner that the composer would surely have approved.

– MusicWeb International