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In order to free her beloved Florestan from the deepest darkness of Pizzaro’s dungeons, Leonore, dressed as a man and under the new name of Fidelio, embarks on a dangerous adventure. Pizzaro’s tyrannical violence, abuse of power and inhumane actions make him one of the most despicable characters in opera history. Fidelio’s is a life or death struggle. Against a backdrop of a corrupted world, hope springs because of love.


Inspired by a true story from the time of the French Revolution, Beethoven wrote a masterpiece in which the characters rise above the everyday. The music has a symphonically mature, at times even religious character, which gives the story its deep feeling and plenitude of big ideas. A unique and mysterious piece that expresses the just, free and humane future so dearly desired. 


Ukrainian director Andriy Zholdak explores the deeper layers of Fidelio’s universal human drama in his own unique way. His visual language full of symbols ties in with that of great filmmakers like Andrej Tarkovski and Ingmar Bergman. Columbian-Austrian conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada, the Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and soprano Jacquelyn Wagner as Leonore and tenor Eric Cutler in the role of her lover Florestan guarantee an evening of excellence.

credits

music Ludwig van Beethoven libretto Joseph Sonnleithner musical direction Andrés Orozco Estrada direction Andriy Zholdak set design Andriy Zholdak, Daniel Zholdak video Etienne Guiol vocals Frederik Bergman, Eric Cutler, Nicolas Brownlee, Jacquelyn Wagner, Anna El-Khashem, Linard Vrielink choir Chorus of Dutch National Opera orchestra Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra coproduction Grand Théâtre de Genève