When this opera was heard by its first audiences in 1843, the genre was dominated by the bel canto movement: ‘Wagnerian’ singers, male or female, did not exist. The first Senta was a success in Bellini roles, and her first Dutchman was a notable Mozartian. This ’L'Olandese volante,’ sung in Italian with an interesting cast, makes a case for hearing the work without the usual Bayreuth expectations. Virginia Zeani, who’d made a European career singing the bel canto repertory, makes an excellent Senta, using her mezza voce to sweeten the gentler parts of her Ballad. More volume produces a wide vibrato at times, but high notes are on the button. Overall, Zeani humanizes the character, and as Senta is, truth to say, living in a dream world, playing her as a heroic Lucia makes perfect sense. Giorgio [Casellato-] Lamberti turns Erik into a robust Latin rival for Senta’s love. The singer finds and sets humming the arioso quality in his part of the Act 2 duet with Senta and makes a bel canto treat out of Erik’s Act 3 cavatina. The ending, in which Lamberti “leans into” the melody, then tosses off the then-customary cadenza with flourishes of coloratura, could well have graced one of the lesser-known Verdi operas that the tenor helped revive. The Helmsman is also good in his high-flying Act 1 sailor’s song: other sources credit this role to Bruno Sebastian, who like Lamberti went on to have a substantial international tenor career.Antonio Boyer is quite a surprise as the Dutchman. He had a longish but undistinguished European career, mainly surfacing in rarities and 20th-century works, with a few secondary parts in more familiar operas (he sang Ford in Verdi’s ‘Falstaff’ at Glyndebourne). Here he is in especially good voice and anxious to make an impression. His lower range is stronger than most baritones in this role, giving the openings of his major scenes the proper dark ominousness (Verdi’s ‘cupo’ quality), But his voice has both depth and expansiveness, and he has the strength to put across the big climaxes. One would have loved to hear him as King Philip in Verdi’s ‘Don Carlo.’ A young Francesco Cristofoli (Danish despite his name) conducts well, keeping the action going but giving the singers room to color their lines. This musician went back to the Danish Royal Opera to a successful career as a Wagnerian. Sadly, the overture is the murkiest part of the recording, with the horn section masking the rest of the instruments. (One suspects that microphone was placed on the stage and the curtain was down during the overture, muffling the sound.) My copy does not show any of the sonic flaws mentioned below by Jim Martin, showing that the remastering has been a success. I would have liked a better balance of singers and orchestra, but this recording is well worth having, showing how Wagner’s mix of novelty and nods to bel canto traditions won him audiences in the beginning of his career.

Romanian Zeani said that the crows also felt a sense of crisis. It's a great pleasure to hear her zenta. After listening to it, I take out her aria collection and listen to it every day.

The performance by Zeani is amazing. One of the best sentas you will ever hear, even considering the glorious Senta of Rysanek. Sound on the first cd is good, however things deteriorate rapidly on the second cd, with much distortion due to over-recording (probably a problem inherent in the original). The performance is well worth enduring the distortion however, due to Zeani’s fabulous performance.