The Royal Opera celebrates Beethoven’s 250th birthday with a new production of Fidelio
Antonio Pappano conducts a new production of Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio, in celebration of the composer’s 250th birthday.
Though Florestan is widely believed to be dead, his wife Leonore is convinced he is held captive in a prison run by the tyrant Don Pizarro. She disguises herself as a boy, Fidelio, and takes a job in the prison. There Leonore wins the trust of the gaoler Rocco – whose daughter Marzelline falls in love with her – and persuades him to take her to see a prisoner held in solitary confinement. She is sure this prisoner is Florestan and they will be reunited. But time is running out, as Don Pizarro is plotting murder.
Award-winning director Tobias Kratzer and his regular collaborator, designer Rainer Sellmaier, make their Royal Opera debuts in a darkly realistic production inspired by the French Revolutionary Terror and by sinister political events in our own times. German tenor Jonas Kaufmann returns to The Royal Opera as Florestan, while Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen sings the role of Leonore (Fidelio). German bass Georg Zeppenfeld sings Rocco, with American soprano Amanda Forsythe as his daughter Marzelline and Irish tenor Robin Tritschler as her spurned suitor Jaquino. Don Pizarro will be sung by British baritone Simon Neal and Latvian bass-baritone Eglis Siliņš sings the minister Don Fernando.
Fidelio opens at the Royal Opera House on 1 March 2020 (matinee performance at 3pm), with subsequent performances on 3, 6, 9, 13 and 17 March 2020 at 7.30pm. You can find last-minute tickets even for sold-out shows via our Friday Rush programme.
Fidelio will be shown live in UK cinemas as part of the Royal Opera House’s Live Cinema Season on Tuesday 17 March 2020. The production will also be broadcast to cinemas around the world.