In Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), a lovesick young woman sacrifices herself to redeem the troubled soul of the title character, a tortured man cursed to wander the seas until judgment day. In some ways, the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of François Girard’s 2020 production represents a similar second chance.

Girard’s staging opened to tepid reviews on March 2 of that year, just a week before the Met (and virtually every other cultural institution in the world) shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. As such, this season’s premiere felt almost like an alternate prima, with a strong international cast assembled, a buzzy young conductor in the pit, and the director on hand to shepherd the work back onstage. The end result, however, often felt as hopeless as the Dutchman’s early quest for salvation…

Click here to read the full review at Parterre Box.