A stormy sea crossing when fleeing from Riga to London is supposed to have inspired Richard Wagner to set the saga of the Flying Dutchman to music, which he had shortly before read in Heine’s »Memoirs of Herr Schnabelewopski«. In so doing he was bowing to the contemporary taste for operas with a supernatural theme.
The Dutchman is cursed to roam the seas with his crew for the rest of eternity; a fate from which only a woman’s true love has the power to release him. Every seven years he is permitted to seek out his female saviour on land. more...
Angelina (whose insulting nickname is »Cenerentola«, or »Cinderella« in English) is humiliated by her father and her two sisters. Prince Ramiro announces a celebration at which he wants to choose his bride. The trick: To deliver the invitation, he disguises himself as his servant and disguises his servant as the prince. In this way, he meets Cenerentola. Although she has been prohibited to do so, she makes a charmingly beautiful appearance at the celebration. The prince, who has been in love with her from the beginning, chooses her to be his bride. Her sisters and father are angry. C’est la vie... more...
Why is the boy hero called Bussel when his real name is Josofus? To add to the confusion, why do his seven sisters like to call him Schussel, Fussel and Dussel. And why does Bussel think that he is really a prince, and the queen his mother, when he only knows her from illustrations. more...
