The unusual structure, magnificent score and life-affirming aura make Beethoven's only opera FIDELIO a unique experience. On 15 March 15, this hymn to freedom, with which the composer created a musical monument to human dignity, will be broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to cinemas in Germany and Austria.
In 1804 Beethoven was commissioned by the Theater an der Wien to compose his first ever opera. Beethoven was a passionate advocate of the ideals of the French Revolution, even though he despised Napoleon. So it was obvious that he reacted positively to the theme of a rescue opera in the spirit of the revolutionary ideals of freedom and fraternity. The liberation from oppression and the triumph of humanity became the core of the opera. However, it took 10 years until the final version of 1814 was completed, as hardly any other work occupied Beethoven as persistently as his only opera. It was only with the third version that FIDELIO reached its definitive form. Beethoven created scenes that have gone down in opera history and still touch us today with their power and authenticity. The best example is the prisoners' chorus in the first act, one of the most famous and moving scenes in opera history.
Beethoven made no compromises in his aim to write instrumental parts for singing voices. He does not place the melodic line in the foreground, but rather conceives the voice instrumentally. All characters are immediately recognizable by their individual music. Lovers of great voices can look forward to a reunion with the phenomenal Lise Davidsen as the courageous Leonore and René Pape as the jovial jailer Rocco. British tenor David Butt Philip, who has conquered the international stages in a short time, takes on the demanding role of Florestan. An international cast can be experienced in the supporting roles: the Chinese soprano Ying Fang is Marzelline, Rocco's daughter; the young German tenor Magnus Dietrich is Jaquino, who is in love with Marzelline; the Polish bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny plays the unscrupulous Don Pizarro and the Danish bass Stephen Milling plays the minister Don Fernando. The Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki will lead the Metropolitan Orchestra, the production was created by the director and theater legend Jürgen Flimm.
You can find a first glimpse of the rehearsals here.
The 2024/2025 Met season will be broadcast live on over 200 screens in Germany and Austria. Tickets are on sale now. The list of participating cinemas and further information can be found at www.metimkino.de.
The rest of the MET LIVE IN CINEMAS program:
- April 26 Mozart LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (Federica Lombardi, Joshua Hopkins)
- May 17 Strauss SALOME (Elza van den Heever, Peter Mattei)
- May 31 Rossini IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA (Aigul Akhmetshina, Jack Swanson)
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Press contact:
If you have any questions or are interested in interviews with artists or a raffle of tickets for one of the live broadcasts, please contact:
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Tel: +49 (0) 89 999 513 421
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Katharina Biro, Senior Manager Clasart Classic
Tel: +49 (0) 89 999 513 420
Email: katharina.biro@leoninestudios.com
