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Product Description ------------------- Ilkka Backman's accled production of Richard Wagner's classic opera takes place outdoors in the huge courtyard of Finland's 500-year-old Olavinlinna Castle - a majestic and impressive setting, which gives the production an atmosphere and realism almost impossible to create in a conventional theatre. Hildegard Behrens, at the height of her career, is the tragic Senta, whose destiny is to redeem the Dutchman from his e. The German bass-baritone, Franz Grundheber, sings the title role, and Finland's own Matti Salminen is the Norwegian sea captain, Daland. From the Savonlinna Opera Festival. .com ---- Vocally, it would be hard to find a better Flying Dutchman. Hildegard Behrens, Matti Salminen, and (most important in this 1988 production's title role) Franz Grundheber were among the finest Wagnerian singers of the late 20th century, and all were in top vocal form on this occasion. They have an excellent supporting cast, and a chorus that sings with musical vitality and acts with theatrical vividness under Illka Backman's expert direction. And Leif Segerstam's conducting is superb, keeping the performance unified and propelling it forward with dramatic urgency. Wagner's drama of a sea captain, cursed to wander the ocean forever until he can be redeemed by the love and self-sacrifice of a good woman, is a relatively early work, still in touch with traditional operatic procedures and accessible to people who are not hard-core Wagnerians. In this production, it comes across with strong impact. The performance is staged outdoors in the courtyard of a 500-year-old Finnish castle, which contributes to its atmosphere but sometimes makes the lighting less than ideal. Lacking the scenic effects of a staged, indoor production, the video uses rather generic projections quite frequently, including the climactic last scene when the Dutchman's ship goes down. The sound is good but not outstanding by 21st-cenury standards, and (as happens in live s) there are a few glitches in the orchestra and lapses in sound-picture synchronization. These are minor considering the disc's positive values, but must be mentioned. In sum, not a perfect Dutchman but, musically and dramatically, a very satisfactory one. --Joe McLellan