Wagner's wind-lashed score was the first work of his maturity and deals with the themes of suffering and redemption. It tells the story of a tormented sea captain under a curse to sail the seas forever.
Every seven years he is allowed on land to try to find a woman who will be faithful to him unto death and so free him from his restless wanderings. And Rodney Milnes continues his new series Opera Snaps, taking a sideways glance at each of this season's works.