This week the Centro Cultural de Belém is set to open a new production of Beethoven’s only opera “Fidelio.” The production which is a co-production with Hamburg and Bologna, is set to feature an all-star cast that includes Gabriela Scherer in her role debut. 

Scherer, who is one of the most in-demand dramatic sopranos of her generation, sings her first Leonore which is followed by numerous other role debuts this season.

In a statement regarding her new role, the soprano said, “I am really looking forward to singing this wonderful role for the first time and to performing in Lisbon again. Vocally, the role has to be approached almost instrumentally. There are passages that are very lyrical and reminiscent of Mozart, as well as dramatic moments and very big emotional outbursts, where it is important to carefully manages one’s resources.”

She added, “Leonore is also a challenge in terms of acting. Whether you want to show the role as a woman in men’s clothes, as was originally the case, or, as here in Lisbon, you want to see Leonore as a kind of supernatural person, regardless of gender. Almost like an angel fighting for the loved one’s liberation.”

For those not in Lisbon for this upcoming debut, Scherer sings her first Chrysothemis in Strauss’s “Elektra” at the Semperoper Dresden followed by her first Donna Elvira in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. She also makes her debut at the Bayreuth Festival this summer.

Recordings 

For those who want to discover more from the soprano, here are recordings of Scherer performing in “The Flying Dutchman” and “Arabella.”