(Credit: Courtesy of the Washington National Opera)

The Washington National Opera is set to present a new production of Beethoven’s “Fidelio.”

WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello will direct the production and it will be conducted by Music Director Designate Robert Spano. The international cast will be led by Irish soprano Sinéad Campbell Wallace as Leonore/Fidelio and New Orleans-born tenor Jamez McCorkle as Florestan. Australian bass-baritone Derek Welton, American baritone David Leigh, and mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves also star.

In a statement, Zambello said, “Beethoven’s only opera is set against the backdrop of a society oppressed by a corrupt government. Beethoven is a composer very aware of the politics of his time. Fidelio is not only about one woman’s fight to release her husband from unjust incarceration but also a rallying cry for all the unfairly prosecuted and clandestinely executed.”

“Fidelio” will be presented from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4, 2024, at the Opera House in German with projected English titles.