Fidelio

Beethoven began work on the opera in 1803 . On November 20, 1805, the opera was presented to the public under the name Leonora, but was not successful. However, the second edition withstood only two performances. The composer returned to work on the work only eight years later. The libretto was rewritten, a new overture was written. The opera was staged on May 23, 1814 at the Vienna Kernnertor Theater and was a huge success.

The action takes place in Spain . XVII century .

First Action

Jacquinot, the prison gatekeeper, is in love with Marceline, daughter of overseer Rocco. But Marcelina dreams of the love of young Fidelio, her father’s new assistant. In fact, under the name of Fidelio (“Faithful”), Leonora, the wife of one of the prisoners, Florestan, who was arrested for speaking out against Pizarro's tyranny and without trial, was placed in a deep underground cell. Leonora hopes to learn something about the fate of Florestan and try to free him.

Pizarro receives a report that the Minister and Don Fernando are going to Seville with an inspection - rumors have reached Madrid that prisoners are being thrown there for political reasons. In order to manage to hide the main thing from his crimes, Pizarro orders Rocco to secretly kill the most dangerous prisoner (that is, Florestan) that night, but Rocco refuses to do this, since the death penalty is not his duty. Then Pizarro orders Rocco to dig a prisoner’s grave, and the commandant himself will kill him.

This conversation overhears Leonor, who intends at all costs to save the unfortunate whose name she does not yet know. Marcelina begs her father to allow the prisoners a short walk in honor of the King’s name day. The prisoners breathe fresh air blissfully and pray to God for their deliverance. Leonora peers into their faces, but Florestan is not among them. Pizarro, suddenly appeared, furiously orders to take the prisoners to the cells.

Second Action

Florestan languishes in a dark dungeon. He feels that his days are numbered, but he is sure that he did the right thing in speaking out against injustice. In a feverish delirium he sees a heavenly angel in the image of his beloved Leonora.

Rocco and Leonora descend into the dungeon to dig a doomed grave. Out of pity, Leonora gives water and bread to the barely moving sufferer, but cannot see his face: it is too dark in the dungeon. Pizarro appears with a dagger. Florestan finally throws accusatory words into his face, and Leonora finally understands who this prisoner is. At a decisive moment, she rushes between the killer and the victim, pointing a gun at Pizarro and giving her real name.

At this moment, trumpet fanfare sounds from above, announcing the arrival of the Minister in the fortress. Pizarro realizes that he will not succeed in hiding the traces of the crime, and hurries upstairs. Leonora and Florestan are happy to be together again. They go to the square to the jubilant people. Pizarro atrocities exposed, political prisoners released. Rocco tells the Minister about the valor of Leonora, who saved her husband. Don Fernando is joyfully surprised, because Florestan is his old friend. Leonora removes chains from the hands of Florestan, and the people glorify marital fidelity, capable of accomplishing feats.

Soloists are given in the following order: Leonora, Florestan, Pizarro, Rocco, Marcelina, Jacquinot.

• 1941 - Deer. Bruno Walter soloists: Kirsten Flagstad , Rene Maison , Julius Hyun , Alexander Kipnis , Marita Farrell , Karl Laufkötter ; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
• 1950 - Deer. Wilhelm Furtwengler ; soloists: Kirsten Flagstad , Julius Patzak , Paul Schöffler , Joseph Grindl , Elizabeth Schwarzkopf , Anton Dermot ; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra .
• 1953 - Deer. Wilhelm Furtwengler ; soloists: Marta Mödle , Wolfgang Windgassen , Otto Edelman , Gotlob Frik , Sena Jurinac , Rudolf Shock ; Vienna State Opera Orchestra .
• 1957 - Deer. Eugen Jochum ; soloists: Leoni Risanek , Hans Hopf , Ferdinand Franz , Ludwig Weber , Elizabeth Lindermeier , Murray Dicky ; RAI Orchestra.
• 1957 - Deer. Alexander Melik-Pashaev ; Soloists: Galina Vishnevskaya , Georgy Nelepp , Alexey Ivanov , Nikolay Schegolkov , Irina Maslennikova , Pavel Chekin ; Bolshoi Theater Orchestra.
• 1960 - Deere. Herbert von Karajan ; soloists: Ose Nordmo Löwberg , Wolfgang Windgassen , Hans Hotter , Walter Kreppel , Wilma Lipp , Murray Dicky ; Vienna State Opera Orchestra .
• 1962 - Deer. Otto Klemperer ; soloists: Krista Ludwig , John Vickers , Walter Berry , Gotlob Frick , Ingeborg Hallstein , Gerhard Unger ; Philharmonic Orchestra .
• 1970 - Deere. Leonard Bernstein ; soloists: Birgit Nilsson , Louis Spiess , Theo Adam , Franz Crassus , Helen Donat , Gerhard Unger ; RAI Orchestra.
• 1978 - Deere. Karl Boehm ; soloists: Hildegard Behrens , James King , Donald MacIntyre , Kurt Moll , Lucia Popp , Norbert Orth ; Bavarian State Opera Orchestra .

• Glinka was very fond of the opera and once told Serov : “I will not exchange Fidelio for all Mozart’s operas together!” ^[1] .
• In honor of the opera, the asteroid (524) Fidelio was discovered, discovered on March 14, 1904 by the German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory .
• In 1955, the performances of the Vienna State Opera in the building, restored after the bombing of 1945, began with Beethoven’s only opera.

• Summary (synopsis) of the opera Fidelio on the site of 100 operas
• Overture to Opera
• The full libretto of the opera Fidelio in Russian (Soviet censored translation, very different from the German original)