No respect.

I kind of like Der fliegende Holländer. It is transitional Wagner, and - I believe - the earliest work of his to make it into the Bayreuth canon. Of all Wagner's operas it is probably more in line with Italian grand opera, and probably the most fun. Jonathan and Alex at Wellsung don't share my enthusiasm.

To wit:

I was thinking today what a bummer it would be to wait 9 years for Bayreuth tickets and then get Fliegende Höllander.

Ouch. They forget that Harry Kupfer staged Der fliegende Holländer at Bayreuth in 1985. A performance, by the way, back out on DVD. If you like Kupfer's work (which is starting to grate on me more and more, by the way), then that was a Holländer you wouldn't be disappointed to get.

Also, I'll take any less-than-desired tickets for Bayreuth.