15-06-2025
Wagnermania: Monumental Flying Dutchman in an Austrian quarry
How does a quarry become the largest and one of the most unique open-air stages in Europe, and the setting for some of the world's most famous operas? Just a few kilometres from Lake Neusiedl, in Sankt Margarethen im Burgenland, Austria, Richard Wagner's opera Der Fliegende Holländer is being staged in a spectacular manner this summer. Producing this opera required nearly two years of preparation, to create a set and a performance worthy of the imposing setting.
Daniel Serafin, the opera's artistic director, told us that it all begins with the creative team working out how the stage should look and then building the set elements, a process that takes several months before the pieces are set up in the quarry. Then come the rehearsals.
The larger, heavier sets are moved by machine, the lighter ones by hand. For example, the walls of Senta's house are moved by a technician during the performance with little effort, as stage manager Attila Galácsi demonstrated to our crew. The playing area is about 950 square metres, with some elements of the stage up to 22 metres high. The rocks of the quarry are also an integral part of the set. This huge space represents an equally huge challenge.
And then there's the weather. The sets are built to withstand wind and rain. Attila Galácsi also explained that there are several measuring stations in the quarry area, which measure the amount of rainfall and the strength of the wind. Above a certain level, they can decide to stop or cancel the show.
Stage director Philipp Krenn explained that not only the rocks of the quarry, but also the sunset were incorporated into the performance of the Dutchman.
He explained that they are very much influenced by the weather and nature. For example, when chirping birds fly over the stage. This connection is very fitting to the Dutchman, as Krenn sees it, as the Dutchman is also inextricably linked to nature, the sea, while his love interest Senta is connected to the land.
The rehearsal period wasn't always just the hard work crew and artists are used to. In May and June, the temperature rose several times during the day to 30 degrees, which made it very difficult to work in the quarry, where the only shade is provided by the set. They tried to drink plenty of water and wore hats. As the performance starts at daylight and ends in the dark, work often continues until dawn. By then the crew are fighting the cold. Philipp Krenn says that he keeps a winter coat in his dressing room alongside his summer hat, because he has to put it on at night.
On the huge stage, 60 to 65 artists perform together at times, and the spectacular set elements dwarf the human being, in particular the sea waves. The director promised that it will be an astonishing sight to see the ship rise out of the sea with the sailors on board.
The quarry, owned by the Esterházy family, has been in operation since Roman times. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also the source of the building materials for many of Vienna's iconic buildings, such as St Stephen's Cathedral, which is still supplied with stones from across the stage for repairs and maintenance.
Pop princess Sabrina Carpenter has divided fans and sparked moral outrage after revealing the new cover art for her upcoming album 'Man's Best Friend'.
Depicting the 26-year-old on her hands and knees in a black minidress while a faceless suited figure grips her hair, fans have argued the image perpetuates patriarchal values and degrades women by relating them to pets.
'This entire thing is so disturbing. Why are we proudly comparing ourselves to dogs,' wrote one commenter on Carpenter's Instagram post.
A post shared by Sabrina Carpenter (@sabrinacarpenter)
'Love Sabrina - but this picture - why is the man in there like that? Its [sic] not a very empowering image for women. I think its [sic] a mistake since most [of] her fans are women and as a dv [domestic violence] survivor i find it uncomfortable and id [sic] rather see her empowered than like that,' said another.
Responding on Facebook, Glasgow Women's Aid, a Scotland-based domestic abuse charity, called the album's artwork "regressive", adding: 'Picturing herself on all fours, with a man pulling her hair and calling it 'Man's Best Friend' isn't subversion. It's a throwback to tired tropes that reduce women to pets, props, and possessions and promote an element of violence and control."
The heated responses also reflect a heightened anger and sensitivity at a time when women's rights are being eroded by governments - and threatened by the manosphere's (a collection of online spaces that promote misogyny) toxic cultural influence.
'This screams trad wife at a time when many of us are fighting for bodily autonomy. It's so poorly aligned with this political moment that it's either intentional trolling or just blatantly out of touch. Either is not ok right now,' one fan said.
Meanwhile, others have countered the discourse with reminders that Carpenter has always owned her sexuality by playing with male fantasies - and that outside of the album's wider context, we still don't know its true meaning.
'I'm seeing a lot of discourse about Sabrina Carpenter's new album cover… for those of you who may lack critical thinking skills, the cover is clearly satirical with a deeper meaning, portraying how the public views her, believing she is just for the male gaze,' a response reads on X.
Following her mainstream breakthrough last year, with frothy earworm Espresso the most-streamed track on Spotify in 2024, Carpenter has become one of pop's biggest superstars. Known for her tongue-in-cheek playfulness and provocative performances, she sparked some controversy last year after filming a saucy music video inside a church, for which the priest that authorised it was stripped of his duties.
While sex has always been an intrinsic part of Carpenter's image and appeal, it's most often utilised for satire and innuendo. In a new Rolling Stone interview, the singer further defended this, saying: 'It's always so funny to me when people complain. They're like, 'All she does is sing about this.' But those are the songs that you've made popular. Clearly you love sex. You're obsessed with it.'
Still, despite those that bemoan Carpenter's ongoing backlash as overblown, lacking nuance and missing the point of her hypersexualised and kink-coded brand, contentious discussions continue on the blurred lines between reclamation and regression.
'Satire only works when it clearly exposes, exaggerates, or critiques the thing it's referencing. Rn, Sabrina's cover recreates sexist imagery without disrupting it, so it reads as compliance, not commentary,' one fan said.
Earlier this month, the singer performed at Barcelona's Primavera festival for the first time, and released 'Manchild' - the lead single from her upcoming seventh studio album, set for release on 29 August 2025.
