Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer

OPERA
MONDAY & FRIDAY, MARCH 2 & 6, 2020 (continuing with this cast through MARCH 21)
8:00 PM

Metropolitan Opera
30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side, Manhattan

$37-$495
https://www.metopera.org/season/2019-20-season/der-fliegende-hollander/

OK, so The Flying Dutchman is far from Wagner's best opera (and, of ones that remain in the repertoire, certainly the most conventional).  And, OK, the star bass-baritone who was to sing the title role had to drop out owing to injury, to be replaced by a less starry bass-baritone.  And yeah, conductor Valery Gergiev can phone performances in sometimes, and can sometimes be pretty ragged.  But he can really whip up excitement — which is just what this score needs.  And (now we get to why I'm recommending this) director François Girard's prior staging at the Met — Wagner's fascinating, engrossing, musically rich, but highly problematical Parsifal — was one of the absolute best things the Met has put on in recent times:  so thoughtful, so considered, so engaged with the material in a critical way that you almost forgot you were at the reactionary old Met.

MAKE A NIGHT OF IT:  Promenade up Broadway to Le Pif for French food and wine.