On the rough coast between the fjords of Norway. The captain‘s daughter Senta fantasizes in melancholic daydreams about the horrifying figure of a sailor condemned to eternal life who is only allowed to go ashore every seven years in order to win the love of a woman. This kind of love and unwavering loyalty until death can release the undead from his curse. When Senta‘s father Daland suddenly appears in the door with a complete stranger, Senta thinks that she recognizes the legendary figure of the “Flying Dutchman“ in this homeless person.

Senta‘s actual fiancé, the hunter Erik, has to watch helplessly as the strangers swear loyalty to each other. When the crew of the strange ship comes ashore at night, the ghostly apparitions put the entire village in fear and terror, and Erik wants to throw himself in front of Senta to protect her. The unfortunate sailor feels that he has once again been betrayed and reveals himself as the “Flying Dutchman“. Yet Senta wants to rescue the Dutchman at all costs ...

Richard Wagner set the rage of the turbulent sea to music in a more infectious way than any other composer before. No one before had

been able to give such vivid sound to the horror of a ghost ship. In addition, the self-proclaimed innovator of opera created grandiose melodies, such as Senta‘s longing ballad or Erik‘s pleading arias. The folklore sounds, for example in the helmsman‘s song or in the picturesque spinning room scene, also enriches Wagner‘s work.

With his first great masterpiece, Richard Wagner created a horrifyingly romantic fairy tale full of youthful impetuosity, which, at less than two and a half hours, is shorter than many classics of Italian opera. The first ever production of a work by Richard Wagner at the “Opera in the Quarry” promises a fascinating summer experience, in which the rugged rocky landscape of the St. Margarethen Quarry once again becomes the ideal backdrop for a thrilling opera performance.