Fidelio

Semperoper Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Important Info

Type: Opera

City: Dresden, Germany

Starts at: 19:00

Acts: 2

Intervals: 1

Duration: 2h 35min

Sung in: German

Titles in: German,English

Cast

Performers

Soprano: Marlis Petersen (Leonore)

Orchestra: Staatskapelle Dresden

Conductor: David Afkham

Tenor: David Butt Philip (Florestan)

Bass-Baritone: Markus Marquardt (Don Pizarro)

Choir: Sinfoniechor Dresden – Extrachor der Semperoper Dresden

Choir: State Opera Chorus Dresden

Creators

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

Staging: Christine Mielitz

Librettist: Georg Friedrich Treitschke

Librettist: Jean-Nicolas Bouilly

Librettist: Joseph Sonnleithner

Overview

Opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. Libretto by Josef Sonnleithner, Stephan von Breuning und Georg Friedrich Treitschke

Christine Mielitz’s production of Beethoven’s "Fidelio" celebrated its premiere on 7 October 1989. While local citizens took to the streets in front of the Semperoper in support of democracy and human rights, the director placed this "opera of liberation" in a contemporary prison courtyard featuring a surveillance tower and barbed wire. At a time of revolution, terror and war, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his opera about a woman who, disguised as a man, tries to rescue her husband from illegal incarceration in a secret prison. In the story, the heroism of Leonore is juxtaposed with the banal world of the prison warden Rocco; simultaneously, grand opera is contrasted with German Singspiel. At the end comes liberation, delineated by Beethoven in almost superhuman, utopian music. More than three decades after its premiere, this Dresden production of "Fidelio" from 1989 has lost none of its intensity.

History

Premiere of this production: 20 November 1805, Theater an der Wien, Vienna

Fidelio (originally titled Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe; English: Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love) is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, with the work premiering at Vienna's Theater an der Wien on 20 November 1805.

Venue Info

Semperoper Dresden - Dresden
Theaterplatz 2

Not only one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world, the Semperoper is renowned both in Germany and abroad for the brilliant star-studded performances by Saxon State Opera as well as numerous international guest artists.

This is the home of the Staatskapelle Dresden, an orchestra which looks back on 460 years of uninterrupted music-making. The State Opera Chorus was founded by Carl Maria von Weber in 1817. Operatic history has been written here, with the Semperoper playing host to numerous important premieres, such as Richard Wagner’s "Rienzi", "Der fliegende Holländer" and "Tannhäuser". There is also an indissoluble link to Richard Strauss, nine of whose 15 operas were premiered in Dresden, including "Salome", "Der Rosenkavalier" and "Elektra". The small venue Semper Zwei provides space for diverse forms of music theatre as well as theatrical experiments, and is also the venue for performances of Semperoper Junge Szene.

The magnificent Semperoper dominates the Theaterplatz be-side the river Elbe, forming the centrepiece of the historic old city. The original building opened its doors in 1841, constructed to a design by Gottfried Semper which combined a late Classical style with Renaissance elements. Following a devastating fire in 1869, the citizens of Dresden immediately set about rebuilding their beloved opera house. This was completed in 1878, also to a design by Semper. In 1945, during the final months of World War II, the Semperoper was once again razed to the ground.

After a second reconstruction was successfully completed in 1985, the reopening of one of Europe’s most beautiful opera houses was celebrated with a performance of Carl Maria von Weber’s "Freischütz".
The dazzling interiors were painstakingly reconstructed by local craftsmen and artists according to original plans, with state-of-the art stage machinery and technical fittings in the auditorium. A modern annex was added to house the administrative offices and rehearsal rooms. Internationally renowned for its brilliant acoustics and incomparable performances, audiences from around the world continue to flock here to enjoy unforgettable experiences at the Semperoper Dresden.