(2-CD SET) FIDELIO - BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN

Fidelio, originally Leonore, Beethoven's only opera, was the result of several revisions. He aborted two projects -- Romulus and Remus, and Vesta's Fire -- in his search for a suitable libretto. Influenced by Mozart's Magic Flute and the new 'rescue operas' that had arrived from Paris, in particular Cherubini's Lodoiska and Les Deux Journees, the subject matter and the music had startling dramatic sweep and realism. Add a political theme, oppression, wrongful imprisonment and a love interest of course, and Beethoven had a plot to really get his teeth into. Meeting with indifference at its premiere in 1805, Beethoven reworked the opera, reducing it to two acts in 1806. He composed two vast new overtures -- Leonore Nos. 2 & 3 (symphonic poems avant la lettre) before deciding on the taciturn, punchy Fidelio overture in 1814 -- Fidelio was now the name of the opera. It was a great success, and the visionary dungeon scene foreshadows Weber and Wagner. The portrayal of love, heroism, grief and suffering almost to the limit of human endurance, and the triumph of good over evil touched a chord deep within Beethoven, and his only opera stands as a sincere, very human, therefore flawed masterpiece. Further information - 'This is a tough, unvarnished reading ... Dohnanyi has certainly observed anew everything there is in the score ... and made certain we understand the unique characteristics of Beethoven's inspiration in terms of harmony and orchestration. The sound is better balanced and wider ranging than on any other recording.' Gramophone - Recording from 1991 produced by Christopher Raeburn - Booklet contains an introduction to the opera and comprehensive synopsis of the plot.