Organization

Singer

Soprano

Melanie Diener

Leonore

Sandra Trattnigg

Marzelline

Tenor

Roberto Saccà

Florestan

Bass

Alfred Muff

Rocco

Baritone

Lucio Gallo

Don Pizzaro

Christoph Strehl

Jaquino

Krešimir Stražanac

Don Fernando

Boguslaw Bidzinski

First prisoner

Morgan Moody

Second prisoner

Conductor

Bernard Haitink

Stage director

Katharina Thalbach

Set designer

Ezio Toffolutti

Costume designer

Lighting designer

Hans-Rudolf Kunz

Chorus master

Ernst Raffelsberger

Opernhaus Zürich

Others

Chor der Oper Zürich

Orchestra

Philharmonia Zürich

German

Fidelio

Zurich

Switzerland

Opernhaus

A state prison near Seville, 18th century. Florestan, a Spanish nobleman, has been unjustly held captive for years by Pizarro, the corrupt governor of the fortress. Florestan's faithful wife Leonore has been hired as an assistant by the jailer Rocco under the name Fidelio in men's clothing in order to free Florestan. Pizarro learns that the minister, Don Fernando, will inspect the prison and decides to kill Florestan. Fidelio has persuaded Rocco to let the prisoners out in the sun for a bit. However, Florestan is not among them; for he is chained in a secret dungeon. There, Rocco is to dig a grave for the unwelcome prisoner on Pizarro's orders. Leonore descends with Rocco to the prisoner and recognizes her husband. When Pizarro wants to kill Florestan, she throws herself in between, threatens the villain with a pistol and reveals herself. Fanfare sounds announce the arrival of the minister, who frees the prisoners and brings Pizarro to justice.

Ludwig van Beethoven's opera "Fidelio" is a hymn to freedom. The contrast between the gloomy imprisonment as a result of political despotism and the light of justice and freedom is not only visible on stage, but also impressively heard in the music. The strength of this ethical and moral idea combined with the musical power and beauty of Beethoven's score make "Fidelio" so unique among the great works of operatic literature.

In 1804 Beethoven was commissioned by the Theater an der Wien to write an opera. The libretto was an adaptation of Pierre Gaveaux's opera "Léonore ou L'amour conjugal", which premiered in 1798. Beethoven was enthusiastic about the idealistic idea of ​​the plot and began composing his opera "Leonore". The premiere in 1805 was unsuccessful - mainly French officers who were occupying Vienna at the time were sitting in the theatre; probably they couldn't do much with a German opera with spoken dialogue. Beethoven subjected his composition to a laborious revision, which was performed nine years later under the title "Fidelio" and has become the definitive version. Beethoven composed the well-known "Fidelio" overture in E major for this version.

"Bernard Haitink takes the score firmly in his hands, brings it into a compact, warm tone and at the same time presents the multitude of motivic connections and contrapuntal reactions in the brightest light. Just as urgently as he points out the worked side of the musical text and it in all By letting the colors shine, he brings out the humane message of the work. As if he believed in it himself: in the good in people that will always prevail in the end. The orchestra of the Zurich Opera has fully embraced the conductor's perspective and even made it our own; it acts as musically as it has not done for a long time, while being wide awake and willing to take risks - a thoroughly exciting thing" (NZZ).

Fidelio Beethoven

Public

Approved

Recorded live at the Zurich Opera House in October 2008.Translucence, transparency  warmth are the qualities identified by Bernard Haitink as necessary for a...

Fidelio by Beethoven, From (2008/2008), Directed by Katharina Thalbach,, Conductor Bernard Haitink, Opernhaus, Zurich, Switzerland

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