Organization

Stage director

Matthew Eberhardt

Music Staff, Opera North

Martin Pickard

Singer

Tenor

Toby Spence

Florestan

Soprano

Rachel Nicholls

Leonore

Opera North

German

Fidelio

This romantic melodrama, inspired by a true story from the French Revolution, speaks to our times with its themes of isolation, liberty and humanity. Fidelio is actually Leonore, a noblewoman disguised as a boy in search of her husband, Florestan, who has been unjustly imprisoned by tyrannical political opponent Don Pizarro. Fidelio secures a job as a prison guard and sets in motion a chain of events in which she must risk everything to save her husband’s life…

Conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, a 33-piece orchestra and 24-strong chorus accompany an impressive cast of internationally-renowned singers including Rachel Nicholls, Toby Spence, Robert Hayward and Brindley Sherratt. The powerful and poignant music includes highlights such as the moving Prisoners’ Chorus and the thrilling trumpet call as the drama reaches its climax.

Production booklet

Further reading