Has anyone seen the ENO Fidelio? The reviews aren't great, but then I haven't got much else to do this Saturday night.
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I thought of going when I saw it advertised some time ago. The details of the production put me off and it looks as if the reviews confirm my caution. I'd prefer an evening with the CDs rather than a trip to ENO to see a production which seems to show a complete disregard for what's written in the score.Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post -
But could it really be worse than some of the latest Glyndebourne productions?Comment
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I suppose that going to see any production of 'Fidelio' might be preferable to sitting at home twiddling one's thumbs, but personally I'd rather stay in & wash my hair (what's left of it).Originally posted by Dave2002 View PostComment
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Fidelio beats a Slice of Saturday Night - another option!Comment
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It is indeed, if you turn up around 6pm. If you have a good enough reason you can get in for 50%, which means all the seats are under £50. I got a rather good one.Originally posted by VodkaDilc View Post
Fidelio was pretty much as described in the somewhat negative reviews - but the actual musical performance is excellent - particularly the orchestra and chorus. That's not to downplay the roles of the soloists - there were no obvious problems - and indeed everyone did well. Partly I blame Beethoven. I've been surprised in recent weeks to see the hype about Fidelio - I never thought it was a particularly great opera, and indeed I've never watched or listened to a performance (recorded or on radio/TV before right the way through. However the last 30 minutes or so are really stupendous - with reminiscences of Beethoven's 9th - which some won't like. Otherwise there were a lot of hints of Mozart and Haydn - bits of Cosi, Marriage of Figaro, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Creation etc. Dramatically it seems rather poor, and the current production and staging seem designed mostly to provide a gym workout for those who have to climb up and down.
It was recorded for Radio 3, apparently, so definitely worth listening out for. Don't miss the 2nd act - which has the most interesting,, and perhaps some less familiar, music IMO.Comment
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I've never understood why it's proclaimed as a great work. Dramatically flawed (to put it mildly) which is a major fault in an opera, nor especiually interesting musically.Originally posted by Dave2002 View PostComment
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That is rather a perjorative comment with which, having seen the latest Glyndebourne productions, I would not agree. There are more appropriate productions for comparison - such as Opera de Lyon's "Fidelio" (if one can call it that) at the Edinburgh Festival, which was set on the spaceship Aniara heading for outer space and oblivion, with all the singers (except Pizarro) gliding around the stage on Segways, but largely invisible behind the thick gauze covering the proscenium, on to which were (continuously) projected amazing extragalactic computer animations. The gauze unfortunately also largely contained the sound. The whole was punctuated by irrelevant platitudes, sometimes projected as text on to the gauze and sometimes spoken by an irrelevant narrator. The unfortunate cast wore extraordinary extragalactic costumes, except Pizarro, who had a Mikado-like cloak which made him look as if he had come in from G&S by mistake. I should never have believed it possible that Beethoven's great confrontation in Act 2 could have been rendered so dim and vapid.Originally posted by Dave2002 View PostLast edited by David-G; 13-10-13, 23:20.Comment
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I think that is a little hard. Fidelio is generally regarded as a great opera, and I know people who think it is the greatest. But it is true that Beethoven was not a natural dramatist as Mozart was, and the dramatic structure of the opera is rather creaky. Possibly as a consequence of that, most productions are generally unsatisfactory, though I do not see why an intelligent sympathetic and non-egoistic producer should not be able to bring it off. But Act 2 (the dungeon scene) should be electrifying in any half-decent performance.Originally posted by Dave2002 View PostComment
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Well, I just don't agree! For me it is great Beethoven and great opera! I like all sorts of opera, but when I hear Fidelio, I always think here we have some solid music! I turned the radio on this evening with some reservations, as I don't really like opera sung in English, but the music is so good that I was won over. I suppose radio listeners were spared any oddities from a notorious producer, but why would I object to hearing a wonderful movement from a late quartet in the middle? I enjoyed it all in spite of some reservations about one of the principals.Originally posted by Flosshilde View PostComment
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Have you seen the ENO production?Originally posted by David-G View Post
The question of whether any given opera is "great" or not is slightly interesting, perhaps the notion of "greatness" is almost meaningless. Many (most) operas have strange plots, though some are madder than others. It has taken me many years to cope with Cosi fan Tutte. The music is sublime - the plot verges on the ludicrous. Yet do we want realism in dramatic works? Probably not. Fantasy and imagination are often more entertaining.
Deception is a feature of much drama, and we have it in Fidelio, with Leonore presenting herself as a man. Is this plausible? Possibly - there have been recorded cases of women functioning in male roles for years without detection, for example on ships, though it must surely be rather unusual.
Do we ever find out what Florestan has done in order to give rise to his incarceration? Not really, perhaps it doesn't matter. It may have been quite common in the 18th Century for people to be imprisoned without trial or justification. One example is the poet Schubart, who wrote the words for Schubert's song Die Forelle. The plot of Fidelio may have been more plausible to audiences at the time of its creation, and many would at least have been aware of problems of occupation.
Rulers have long been wary of dramatic productions, because of the way they can influence public opinion. Shakespeare had to be rather careful not to instigate too many problems for the society in which he lived, and we are aware that Mozart had some problems with the Marriage of Figaro, which, if it did not overtly seek to change society, at least presented views of it which were perhaps not favourable to the aristocracy. Concepts of freedom and liberty were relevant to many in Beethoven's time.
ENO's production is very strange - and this review mentions a feature which was a surprise in the theatre - the shooting of Florestan by Fernando - http://www.classical-music.com/blog/...ns-fidelio-eno Possibly listeners at home might have wondered why there was an audible shot. Indeed it was strange enough in the Coliseum. Pantomime perhaps?Comment
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