Opera Scotland

Fliegende Holländer 1966Sadler's Wells Opera

Read more about the opera Flying Dutchman

Dennis Arundell's staging of the Dutchman was a landmark in the history of Sadler's Wells, a modern production dominated by the designs of Timothy O'Brien and especially Charles Bristow's atmospheric lighting. It was first seen at Sadler's Wells Theatre on 29 October 1958, and remained a fixture in the repertoire through the sixties. It briefly survived the 1968 transfer to the far larger Coliseum. It must also have been the project that led on to even more famous stagings of Mastersingers and the Ring.

The programme for the first week, in Edinburgh commencing 21 March, was as follows: Mon Flying Dutchman; Tue Marriage of Figaro; Wed Hansel and Gretel; Thu Flying Dutchman; Fri Thieving Magpie; Sat mat Hansel and Gretel; Sat eve Marriage of Figaro. The schedule in the other two cities was identical, with the single exception that in Glasgow Figaro was replaced by The Barber of Seville.

These singers were long-term members of the company, with the exception of the leading Australian bass Neil Warren-Smith, and at this stage had little experience of Wagner - a situation that would rapidly change. During this spring, Donald McIntyre was preparing to sing Hunding in Die Walküre (in German) with Scottish Opera, and would quickly go on to perform the major Wagner roles, including Wotan, at Covent Garden, Bayreuth and elsewhere. Elizabeth Fretwell was also in that Walküre cast, as Sieglinde.

Cast details are from a programme in Aberdeen City Library and a Glasgow programme in the collection at Opera Scotland, supplemented by further records in the ENO archive.