Fliegende Hollander.

Mary Jane Johnson (Senta) and John Mac Master (Erik) in the Vancouver Opera production

Vancouver Opera's four performances of Der Fliegende Hollander more than justified the tardy return of Wagner to the company's repertoire after a long lapse following a 1975 Die Walkure. An earlier Hollander in 1968, in a neo-Wieland Wagner, abstract production, was artistically striking but failed to draw strong audience response. The current offering, in large-scale neo-realistic sets from New Orleans Opera, was equally effective on its own terms, while happily attracting large and enthusiastic houses. The sets, imaginatively lit by Stephen Ross, featured two mysterious ships, which arrived on stage with considerable impact, while Daland's house was perfectly scaled to accommodate both the spinning chorus and, subsequently, the intensely personal encounters of the principals. And Roman Hurko's direction managed to strongly characterize the work's disparate elements.

The musical aspects were almost equally strong. Mary Jane Johnson (Senta) gave one of her characteristically intense but not overwrought dramatic performances, while singing with power, if less tonal sheen than in earlier appearances with the company. Tom Fox (the Dutchman) used his edgy, dramatic voice to considerable advantage. He strongly articulated the text and was dramatically convincing, if hampered by a strange wig that made him look like a grizzled Goldilocks. Stefan Szkafarowsky's craggy-voiced Daland was equally imposing, while the cast boasted two distinctly superior tenors, Philip Webb as a sweet-toned Steersman and John Mac Master as an unflaggingly commanding Erik.

All of this was propelled by Leslie Uyeda's strong chorus, augmented by Chor Leoni, as the crew of the Dutchman's ship, and the enlarged opera orchestra under John Keenan's incandescent leadership.