The 'Dutchman' who could have been

It was on everyone's lips that the Catalonia Opera Foundation It made history by adding its first Wagner to its extensive list of programmed titles, spanning more than forty years. And, although Der fliegende Holländer It draws heavily on German Romanticism of the first third of the 19th century, and the Nibelungs are still a distant memory. Wagner always demands an extra artistic effort, which in this case he hasn't quite achieved. It's not that this spectacle has foundered, but sadly it hasn't reached its full potential, if we may use the nautical metaphors that precede the fourth opera in Wagner's catalogue.

And the reasons are varied. Firstly, there's the musical direction of Josep Planells Schiaffino, with some coordination problems, but above all, with a sound that is sometimes thin, produced by the Vallès Symphony Orchestra – the pit at La Farándula is what it is – and lacking the dramatic tension that the score demands.

The house choir, the Sabadell Friends of the Opera Choir, performed admirably, and their work deserves recognition. However, the Anton Bruckner Choir, while providing additional support, fell short due to the limited quality of their voices, which should have sounded truly eerie in the third act. Furthermore, the sound system was inadequate for a scene meant to be chilling.

Of the cast, only José Antonio López's Dutchman truly shone: he captured the character's poignant nuances and delivered the demanding score with conviction and stylistic mastery. Alongside him, Maribel Ortega's Senta only reached her full potential in the scenes with the baritone from Murcia, particularly in the second-act duet. In the ballad, Ortega displayed excessive insecurity and occasional strained notes, while the third-act duet with José Ansaldi's Erik bordered on disaster. The Chilean-Italian tenor possesses a robust voice with a more or less balanced middle register, but his high notes are poorly supported and delivered with an unpleasant emission.

Sava Vemic's bass Daland was notable, although his volume could benefit from more control and more taste in phrasing; Jorge Juan Morata's Timoner was adequate, and mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Gillming was excellent in the brief role of Mary.

The other major obstacle for an opera like this is the staging. And, despite Sergio Gracia's skillful lighting design, the projections didn't always work. Occasionally, they were monotonous and predictable, lacking the originality needed to contribute to the narrative (by the way, it's not necessary to project the opera's title twice... I think everyone knew that Friday night wasn't exactly going to be a day of entertainment). La bohème).

However, the main problem is that without good character development and effective direction of the actors, the production simply doesn't work. And in this respect, Emilio López's work as stage director has been weak and inadequate.

All of this is a real shame, because the Fundació Òpera Catalunya has put enthusiasm, effort and resources into one of its most ambitious projects, but it has fallen short.