Fidelio

Freedom, courage and human rights are the fundamental motifs that form the foundation of Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera “Fidelio”. In the spirit of the French Revolution, the composer created a profoundly humanistic work that questions humanity when faced with tyrannical oppression and has lost none of its impact today.

It is the story of the capriciously imprisoned Florestan, whose loving wife disguises herself as a man to free her husband from prison in the role of 'Fidelio'. On the way out of imprisonment into a seemingly utopian freedom the driving force of the music transcends formal limitations. From lyrical, song-like elements of the opera to military music and tone-poetic interludes the composition pushes towards a grand choral finale, which takes on oratorio-like dimensions, and thus already foreshadows the Beethoven 9th Symphony.