Peter Gelb Calls for Freedom from Tyrants During ‘Fidelio’ HD Broadcast
By Francisco SalazarPeter Gelb is reiterating his support for Ukraine.
During the March 15 HD of “Fidelio,” Gelb took a moment at the beginning of the broadcast to denounce tyranny and to reiterate his support for the Ukrainians.
He said, “You know, in the early 1800s when ‘Fidelio’ was composed, Beethoven believed in the power of the Republic—the right of the people to govern. That’s why ‘Fidelio,’ Beethoven’s opera against tyranny and about individual resistance and heroism in the face of oppression, dealt an artistic blow to Napoleon’s ambitions to be the dictator of Europe. And it’s why ‘Fidelio’ is such an important opera to be performed today, when the free world is under the gravest threat since World War II.”
He added, “In the great ‘Abscheulicher!’ aria that Leonore—disguised as Fidelio—sings in the first act, she calls out the tyrant who has kept her husband jailed as a political prisoner, calling him a monster. And then, she sings about the power of her love to guide her fight for victory. That’s a message to dictators that rings true today. Great art like ‘Fidelio’ is a pillar of a free and just society. At the Metropolitan Opera, in our own fight for a civilized world, we always remain committed to its values of freedom from oppression.”
He concluded “My personal heroine is my wife, the conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, founder of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, who as I speak is crossing the Ukrainian border for the sixth or seventh time since the invasion, to perform for the liberty of that heroic and embattled nation. So today’s performance of ‘Fidelio,’ and other acts of artistic resistance, symbolize the democratic world’s fight for its inalienable rights of justice, freedom, and democracy. It also has some of the most heroically beautiful music ever composed.”
Gelb’s statement comes only a few weeks after the Met opened the second half of the season with the Ukrainian national statement. It also comes as the Ukrainian government has agreed to a temporary ceasefire that has yet to be approved by Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Since the war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, the Metropolitan Opera has supported Ukraine and has also worked alongside the Polish National Opera to form the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. It has also invited the First Lady of Ukraine who held a fundraiser and invited Ukrainian soldiers and the Ukrainian ambassador to a performance of “Tosca” starring Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska.
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