Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven

Leonore  Elza van den Heever, soprano
Florestan Paul Groves, tenor
Marzelline Georgia Jarman, soprano
Rocco Kristinn Sigmundsson, bass
Jaquino Andrew Owens, tenor
Don Pizarro Alfred Walker, bass-baritone
Pablo Heras Casado, conductor
Orchestra of St. Luke’s

Beethoven’s Fidelio – the master’s only opera – explores themes common to his “middle period”: of personal sacrifice, of heroism, and of delayed triumph. The story follows the efforts of a determined wife in disguise (soprano Elza van den Heever), the struggles of her imprisoned political-activist-husband (tenor Paul Groves), and a host of players from the reigning municipality who seek to keep him in chains. Fidelio was the fruit of Beethoven’s decade-long struggle to bend operatic forms to his personal vision. Its first version, Leonore, had met with mixed success in 1805. The revision, debuting in the same season as Rossini’s Aureliano, became an instant classic, and is now a cornerstone of the repertory. Its stunning synthesis of German and Italian operatic traditions with Beethoven’s unique force and nobility has challenged the greatest interpreters for two centuries, revealing new secrets in each generation.

Caramoor welcomes Pablo Heras-Casado, principal conductor of Orchestra of St. Luke’s, in his first turn at the Bel Canto opera stage.