Fidelio, Op. 72

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van

Librettist/Text Author: Treitschke, Georg Friedrich

Librettist/Text Author: Sonnleithner, Joseph

Conductor: Harnoncourt, Nikolaus

Orchestra: Zurich Opera House Orchestra

Chorus: Zurich Opera House Chorus

Chorus Master: Raffelsberger, Ernst

Don Fernando: Groissbock, Gunther

Don Pizarro: Muff, Alfred

First Prisoner: Bidzinski, Boguslaw

Florestan: Kaufmann, Jonas

Jaquino: Strehl, Christoph

Leonore: Nylund, Camilla

Marzelline: Magnuson, Elizabeth Rae

Rocco: Polgar, Laszlo

Second Prisoner: Bermudez, Gabriel

Set Designer: Glittenberg, Rolf

Costume Designer: Glittenberg, Marianne

Lighting Designer: Schlossstein, Jakob

Stage Director: Flimm, Jurgen

Television Director: Breisach, Felix

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Date of Production: 02-2004

Venue: Zurich Opera House

Playing Time: 02:12:25

Catalogue Number: P166

Libretto

Fidelio, Op. 72 EN

Synopsis

Fidelio, Op. 72

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This stellar production of Beethoven's Fidelio - the sole opera by the universally beloved composer born 250 years ago - stands out from the pack. First, it features a young Jonas Kaufmann in 2004, near the beginning of his meteoric rise to superstardom thanks to the qualities already on full display here: a dark and stentorian tenor voice, remarkable acting capacities, and a seemingly effortless expressiveness that make him a perfect fit for the iconic roles he would go on to embody, not least of which is Florestan.

But even the greatest soloist cannot make an opera work on his own - and?the unique alchemy here between Jurgen Flimm's minimalist staging and Nikolaus Harnoncourt's expert musical approach focuses the drama's power on the ineffable power of love, rather than just on philosophy or politics. Fidelio tells the story of Leonora (soprano Camilla Nylund, in one of the roles that launched her to international success like Kaufmann), who disguises herself as a man (Fidelio, "faithful one"), to rescue her husband (Florestan), unjustly imprisoned by his enemy Pizarro (here, a powerful Alfred Muff) and guarded by the warden Rocco (a worthy Laszlo Polgar). Fittingly, the original title of the opera was Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love.