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
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