PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Beethoven's only opera Fidelio never ceases to fascinate audiences with its spellbinding story of true love. Staged by renowned opera director Jürgen Flimm this production is the outstanding result of the teamwork of the orchestra and chorus of the Zurich Opera House with a cast of magnificent singer-actors. Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund in the title role presents a wonderful portrayal of the opposing characters of the loving wife, Leonore, and her alter ego, the young man Fidelio. The internationally renowned tenor Jonas Kaufmann is her counterpart Florestan the attractive singer plays a convincing suffering prisoner, brought back to life by marital love. László Polgár is the jailer Rocco, torn between greed and sympathy and Alfred Muff takes on the sinister Don Pizarro to complete the setting.

Under the musical direction of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, this production became a highly memorable event. The Austrian conductor is universally celebrated for the structural transparency of his interpretations, his intellectual penetration and his emotional understanding of both music and opera plot. He once called this opera 'a hymn of praise to marital love'. Although the work has a long tradition of being interpreted in political terms portraying oppression and liberation, imprisonment and freedom, Harnoncourt is adamant that, for Beethoven, these topics were only a means to an end: 'What he was concerned about is love. The real action is between Leonore and Florestan. Essentially, the work is about what can be achieved by true love and the fact that a loving wife is ready to do anything for her husband'.

REVIEW
Kaufmann sings his big aria with his customary combination of immaculate technical address, a blend of lyricism with a wide range of dynamics, including serious power when required. --Opera, aug'16

Ludwig van Beethoven is perhaps the greatest composer of classical music, rivalled only by Mozart. He was born in 1770 in Bonn, Germany, and by the time he was 13 he was supporting his family as a court musician, having already written his first symphony. His father, an obscure tenor singer, was apparently a violent man, who would drag young Ludwig from his bed in order to 'beat' music lessons into his head. Despite such abuses, Beethoven developed a sensitivity and love for music, going on to study with Mozart, Haydn, Johann Schenk, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Antonio Salieri. He began slowly to lose his hearing from the age of 30 yet increasing deafness did not end his career and his fame peaked in 1814 when his only opera, Fidelio, was successfully revived. Fidelio has never since ceased to fascinate audiences with its spellbinding story of true love. Adroitly staged by director Jürgen Flimm, this production features an outstanding cast of soloists that includes Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund as the loving wife, Leonore, and her alter ego, the young Fidelio. Acclaimed tenor Jonas Kaufmann is her counterpart Florestan, brought back to life by marital love. Laszlo Polgar is the jailer Rocco, torn between greed and sympathy, and Alfred Muff is the sinister Don Pizarrog. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Zurich Opera House are conducted in refreshingly unaffected style by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, celebrated for the structural transparency of his interpretations, his intellectual penetration and his emotional understanding of both music and opera plot. --New Classics, Aug'16