Ghost stories seem to provide inspiration for artists through the centuries. An ancient ghost story forms the basis for composer Richard Wagner’s opera “The Flying Dutchman.” The Atlanta Opera is staging a new production of the work, directed by their general & artistic director Tomer Zvulun.
In the story, a ghost captain, the Dutchman, is cursed to roam the seas without rest.
Every seven years he may return to shore and if he can find a wife he will be released from his curse. He crosses paths with a sailor’s daughter who herself is trapped in an arranged marriage, but she finds herself obsessed with the Dutchman.
“And all this is accompanied by this great music that Wagner wrote,” Zvulun tells City Lights host Lois Reitzes.
