Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827):
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| Leonore | CHRISTA LUDWIG |
| Florestan | JON VICKERS |
| Don Pizarro | WALTER BERRY |
| Rocco | GOTTLOB FRICK |
| Marzelline | INGEBORG HALLSTEIN |
| Jaquino | GERHARD UNGER |
| Don Fernando | FRANZ CRASS |
| First Prisoner | KURT WEHOFSCHITZ |
| Second Prisoner | RAYMOND WOLANSKY |
Introduction
This is the Fidelio which has set the standard since it first appeared. Grandeur and humanity typify Otto Klemperer's Beethoven, while Christa Ludwig and Jon Vickers, both in transcendent form, lead the cast.
Synopsis
Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio sees the composer characteristically stretching the bounds of artistic convention and developing new modes of musical expression. Set in a prison near Seville, Fidelio starts off in a domestic, almost light-hearted mode, but soon moves into deeper, darker territory as Leonore, disguised as a young man and working for the jailer Rocco, seeks to rescue her husband (Florestan), unjustly imprisoned by the tyrannical prison governor Pizarro. Beyond the theme of the power of a wife’s love, Beethoven addresses universal issues of compassion and freedom, notably in the momentous chorus that closes Act 1, when a group of prisoners is released to enjoy some moments in the sunshine.
Other great moments in the first act include the sublime quartet ‘Mir ist so wunderbar’, for which time seems to stop, and Leonore’s intense and heroic scena ‘Abscheulicher’ -- her condemnation of Pizarro is followed by a paean to hope. As the second act opens, Florestan’s despair, expressed in his cry of ‘Gott, Welch dunkel hier’, is relieved by a shining vision of his wife. The resourceful and intrepid Leonore succeeds in defeating Pizarro and the reunited couple rejoice in the exhilarating duet ‘O namenlose Freude!’.
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Compact Disc 1 76.30 1 Overture (Orchestra) 6.59 ACT ONE |
Compact Disc 2 66.22 ACT TWO 20 Overture: Leonore No.3 14.38 |
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