In March 2020, the Met made the difficult choice to cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 season in an effort to keep audiences, performers, and staff members safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision also meant ending the Live in HD season early, only days before a scheduled transmission of Francois Girard's stirring new production of Der Fliegende Hollander. Fortunately, as part of regular preparations for an HD broadcast, a prior performance of the opera was recorded as a camera rehearsal. In this high-definition "scratch taping," celebrated conductor Valery Gergiev is on the podium for Wagner's breakout operatic masterpiece, an eerie ghost story about the otherworldly Flying Dutchman. Having already sung a number of the composer's works at the Met, bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin delivers a commanding performance in the title role, opposite soprano Anja Kampe in her debut season as Senta. The thrilling cast also stars tenor Sergey Skorokhodov as Erik, bass Franz-Josef Selig as Daland, mezzo-soprano Mihoko Fujimura as Mary, and tenor David Portillo as the Steersman.
New York City, NY; NYC