Der fliegende Holländer, one of Wagner's most popular works, is closely connected with Riga where the composer worked as Music Director from 1837 to 1839. Escaping his creditors in Riga by ship to London, Wagner was nearly shipwrecked. It was this frightening experience that inspired him to write Der fliegende Holländer. The ocean as a violent, relentless force is omnipresent in this romantic opera about a man cursed to roam the seas forever - until he finds a woman who will love him more than life itself.