Fidelio

25 Sep 13 – 17 Oct 13

Running time: 2hrs 40mins

In Fidelio, Political prisoner Florestan is unjustly held captive by Don Pizarro, the corrupt governor of a state prison. Florestan’s wife, Leonore, searches for him by assuming the disguise of a young man called Fidelio and joining the prison staff as a guard. Her rescue of Florestan offers a universal story of the power of marital love and fidelity triumphing over injustice and tyranny.

Two hundred years after its premiere, Beethoven’s Fidelio continues to thrill audiences with its many echoes of the composer’s symphonic works, powerful orchestral imagination and exquisite melodies. Calixto Bieito’s unique vision of Beethoven’s only opera explores the psychological prison of each character, in a production which is contemporary and yet abstract, and which always seeks to challenge our expectations and certainties about this much-admired opera.

Fidelio is conducted by ENO Music Director Edward Gardner. The cast of this ground-breaking new production is led by acclaimed soprano Emma Bell as Leonore and Stuart Skelton as Florestan.

Co-produced by ENO and the Bavarian State Opera, Munich.

Sung and surtitled in English. Strong flashing lights are used in parts of this production.

Signed performance October 3, 2013 Pre-performance talk September 27, 2013
Leonore   Emma Bell 
Florestan   Stuart Skelton* 
Don Pizarro   Philip Horst 
Rocco   James Creswell 
Marzelline   Sarah Tynan 
Jaquino   Adrian Dwyer 
Don Fernando   Roland Wood 

* excluding 1 & 3 October when Bryan Register will sing the role of Florestan
Conductor   Edward Gardner 
Director   Calixto Bieito 
Set Designer   Rebecca Ringst 
Costume Designer   Ingo Krügler 
Lighting Designer   Tim Mitchell 
Translator   David Pountney

Heath Quartet
Violin   Oliver Heath 
Violin   Cerys Jones 
Viola   Gary Pomeroy 
Cello   Christopher Murray

London Coliseum
St Martin’s Lane
London
WC2N 4ES