New York’s Heartbeat Opera is set to mount a four-city tour of its 2018 adaptation of Beethoven’s masterpiece, “Fidelio,” which Heartbeat Artistic Director Ethan Heard conceived for the era of Black Lives Matter. In Heartbeat’s production, Leonore is now “Leah,” a young Black woman, and her husband Florestan is “Stan,” a Black Lives Matter activist who has been wrongfully incarcerated {…}
(Credit: © Julien Benhamou) The Insula Orchestra has announced its upcoming tour of Beethoven’s only opera “Fidelio.” The opera will star Sinéad Campbell-Wallace as Leonore, Stanislas de Barbeyrac as Don Florestan, Christian Immler in the role of Rocco, Sebastian Holecek as Don Pizzaro, Hélène Carpentier in the role of Marzelline, and Patrick Grahl as Jacquino. Laurence Equilbey conducts a production {…}
The Teatro La Fenice is set to inaugurate the 2021-22 season with Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” The work, which was slated to be presented in 2020 to celebrate the composer’s 250th birthday, will now open in a new production by Joan Anton Rechi. Myung-Whun Chung will conduct the opera with a cast that includes Ian Koziara as Florestan, Tilmann Rönnebeck as Rocco, {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera) The talisman of Beethoven’s “Fidelio” is “Freiheit (freedom).” Though “Fidelio” is Beethoven’s only opera, it was not his only “cri de coeur” for liberty as the conclusion of his Ninth Symphony showed. San Francisco Opera’s production offered that message for today’s world. “Freiheit” equals Liberty. “Freiheit” equals independence, both personal and political. And “Freiheit” equals {…}
(Credit: Jiyang Chen) The Broad Stage has announced its 2022 season, which will feature 28 total showcases. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be on operatic and vocal performances. First up will be the premiere of “Iphigenia” starring jazz legends Esperanza Spalding and Wayne Shorter. Performance Dates: Feb. 17 – 19, 2022 Heartbeat Opera will present “Fidelio” {…}
Set design by Alexander V. Nichols Virtual tickets for San Francisco Opera’s new production of Beethoven’s “Fidelio” are now on sale. The fresh staging by Matthew Ozawa is set to open on Oct. 14, 2021. SFO’s first-ever virtual option enables audiences from around the world to experience Beethoven’s only opera from the comfort of their homes. Audiences will have three {…}
In anticipation of its upcoming production of “Fidelio,” San Francisco Opera has released a new episode of their podcast “North Stage Door,” featuring discussions on Beethoven’s work. The episode features director Matthew Ozawa, former US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, SFO Chorus Director Ian Robertson, participants in the Prison Arts Project at San Quentin State Prison, and other guests, {…}
San Francisco Opera will continue its season with Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” The company will present a new production by Matthew Ozawa which updates its original eighteenth-century prison setting to a modern government detention center. Music Director Eun Sun Kim conducts the opera which stars Elza van den Heever as Leonore, Russell Thomas, Greer Grimsley, James Creswell, and Soloman Howard. For the first time in the history of {…}
(Credits: Dario Acosta / Sonya Yoncheva official website / © Gregor Hohenberg / Kasskara/DG / Operabase official website / Staatsoper Berlin official website) The Staatsoper unter den Linden in Berlin has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is the full slate. Operas Beethoven’s “Fidelio” will open the season. The opera stars Roman Trekel, Matthias Goerne, Pavel Černoch, Andreas Schager, Simone Schneider, {…}
(Credits: Linda Rabisch / Bethany Davis / Gerard Collett) The Glyndebourne Festival has announced its fall tour 2021 that will take place from October 8 – Dec. 12, 2021. Here is the full slate. Ludwig van Beethoven‘s only opera “Fidelio” will star Clay Hilley as Don Florestan, Callum Thorpe in the role of Rocco, Carrie-Ann Williams as Marzelline, Gavan Ring {…}
(Photo credits: © Harald Hoffmann / Chris Gloag / Gregor Hohenberg / Sony Music Entertainment / Nicole Car official website) The Wiener Staatsoper has announced the next slate of operas that it will be presenting on its streaming platform over the next week. First up is the production of Beethoven‘s “Fidelio” starring Klaus Florian Vogt, Anja Kampe, Evgeny Nikitin, Stephen {…}