Der Fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman) was Richard Wagner's first big success, following his promising but less-than-hit compositions, Die Feen (The Fairies) and Rienzi. Today, many still find Dutchman the most accessible of Wagner's works, and a good choice for the neophyte. You can follow the score and see how Wagner achieved his orchestral effects--like the tense, stormy music of the Dutchman's crew--with this full score from Dover. A full score is more fun for the armchair conductor, and more useful for the student, but they're not as good a deal for working singers who just need the vocal lines and piano accompaniment. Dover Scores are reprints of out-of-copyright editions from other publishers, and sometimes contain errors that have been corrected in more recent versions, but they're still the biggest bargain going in printed music.