A scenic open-air production of Richard Wagner’s opera The Flying Dutchman will be the finale at the Birgit Nilsson Festival 2026, with world-class singers, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and choirs across Skåne – at the Tennis Stadium in Båstad on August 8.
Leading roles will be sung by Christopher Maltman (The Dutchman), Elisabet Strid (Senta), Günther Groissböck (Daland) and Katarina Dalayman (Mary) with musical direction by Henrik Nánási.
“The Flying Dutchman is the obvious gateway to Wagner’s world. It is a captivating story filled with romance, longing and reconciliation, loaded with outstanding music that is difficult to defend against,” says Bengt Hall, the festival’s artistic director.
English baritone Christopher Maltman is one of today’s most sought-after opera singers, with regular guest appearances at opera houses such as the Staatsoper Berlin, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Opéra National de Paris, the Wiener Staatsoper and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Swedish soprano Elisabet Strid is one of the foremost Wagner singers of our time, with appearances at opera houses such as the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Teatro Real in Madrid. Her roles include Isolde, Salome and Senta.
Hungarian-born conductor Henrik Nánási, former music director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, regularly performs at Europe’s most prestigious opera houses and concert halls.
The Flying Dutchman is based on a legend about a condemned and deeply unhappy sea captain on a ghost ship, whose only salvation is a woman’s self-sacrificing love. Wagner was inspired to write the opera on the Norwegian coast during a dramatic and stormy sea voyage from Riga to London. With its catchy arias and powerful choruses, The Flying Dutchman is considered Wagner’s most accessible opera. It follows the festival’s production of Verdi’s Aida, which last summer set an audience record for the Tennis Stadium’s open-air opera.
The Flying Dutchman is part of the extensive Birgit Nilsson Festival programme (2-8 August 2026) which will be announced shortly. The Birgit Nilsson Festival is organized by the Birgit Nilsson Stiftelsen.
Senta: Elisabet Strid
Mary: Katarina Dalayman
The Dutchman: Christopher Maltman
Daland: Günther Groissböck
Erik: Stanistas de Barbeyrac
Daland’s Steerman: Tobias Westman
Helsingborgs Symphony Orchestra
Choral singers from Skåne
Conductor: Henrik Nánási
• Richard Wagner: The Flying Dutchman
• August 8 at 7:00 PM
• Tennis Stadium in Båstad
• Outdoor concert
• Running time: approx. 3 hours incl. 15 min. intermission
• Admission from 5:00 PM
• Catering available on site
• Own food and drinks not allowed
• Birgit Nilsson Festival August 2-8, 2026
• More info: www.birgitnilsson.com
Tickets juliusbiljettservice.se
PS. When Birgit Nilsson sang Senta, the audience is said to have felt the stormy nerve in the music and the romantic heart of the story. Her portrayal highlighted both Senta’s strength and vulnerability – and made the opera more than a ghost story. A drama about man’s eternal search for meaning and love.