Leonore to the Rescue in Amsterdam!
OperaDutch National Opera’s production will be unlike any Fidelio you may have seen before. In Ukrainian stage director Andriy Zholdak’s version, Beethoven’s opera is depicted through symbols, video projections and spoken texts. A master of imagery, Zholdak tells the story of this rescue opera as an imaginary fight between good and evil forces, in every person and in the universe. The central couple Leonore (Fidelio) and Florestan must fight a battle with the devil-like Pizarro to restore harmony within themselves and the world. Zholdak makes numerous references to devils, such as snakes, fallen angels and mirrors. It seems that evil disrupts everything – except the music, which is performed by a world-class cast with the prestigious Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Jacquelyn Wagner sings role of Leonore, Eric Cutler in role of Florestan, and Nicholas Brownlee as Don Pizarro. Slippedisc streams Fidelio courtesy of OperaVision.
Subtitles in English, Dutch and German.
The Plot: suspecting her missing husband is being held as a political prisoner, a noblewoman disguises herself as a male prison guard. She discovers him weakened in the darkest dungeon but will she be able to rescue him before it is too late?
Streamed on Saturday 6th July 2024 at 1900 CET / 1800 London / 1300 New York
It was a complete disaster.
I went to see this three weeks ago. What a load of pretentious nonsense.
I’m not averse to a bit of regietheater as long as it respects the dramatic integrity of the work. This production just chops it up and suffocates it to the point where there is nothing left to hold one’s interest. I was bored out of my mind.
I think Orozco Estrada didn’t enjoy it much either. He raced through it at such a breakneck tempo that neither the orchestra nor the singers could keep up. I presume he just wanted to go home.
Hope you didn’t pay too much.
It’s garbage shows like this that make me go to more concert operas now.
Thanks. Now I do not feel bad for mssing it!
I read that after the performances the ushers had great trouble waking-up the audience members and get them out. Some of the staff demanded extra pay for the efforts, which was answered by the claim that it had been part of the concept.
In other words, don’t waste your money
Eric Cutler made his Met debut in 2000 as the First Prisoner, so I’m looking forward to his Florestan.
This opera’s stage production is garbage (I’m not saying the music is bad, the music is excellent). The local Dutch newspaper gave this opera a rating of just one star (1/5). Open the YouTube video, minimize the page, and just listen to the music.
The original review from the newspaper reads: “The Ukrainian director Andriy Zholdak wanted to turn Beethoven’s opera of freedom, ‘Fidelio,’ into a cosmic battle between good and evil. Unfortunately, it became a gratuitous wandering through mirror land. The excellent cast and the Concertgebouworkest were not to blame.”
Musically it was mediocre at best. I was very disappointed with the orchestra – sloppy playing throughout.
It is hard to get the ensemble together in that pit because it is like a slot spread-out along the wide stage, so nobody hears what the others are doing. Add to that the concrete substance of the building which does not resonate, and to get a good sound is a superhuman challenge.
It was universally panned, by audience and performers alike. Why the DNO has decided to promote it is beyond anyone’s understanding.
But what can you do with such naive and bourgeois plot? A very good marriage demands effors and sacrifice, and the good overcomes the bad, who wants to see that? So, they have to invent something that will keep the interest going. Also because everybody knows the outcome there can’t be any tension during the evening, so also that has to be compensated for.
My beloved and I attended the general, beginning of last june. During the evening, I repeatedly asked myself (and my beloved) “…where is Beethoven! for God’s sake…”. Needed a few beers in a café afterwards with one of the KCO players to overcome this utterly deplorable deception…
Only Lise Davidsen can save Leonore in March 2025 at the Met. I will be there to witness.
So why is Pizarro portrayed as Karl Lagerfeld again?
Because the hidden cause of all evil in the world, nay of all of dark energy in the cosmos, is a fashion designer of the French fashion house of Chanel?
Thank goodness Beethoven’s music transcends all this high school sophomoric nonsense, alas Orozco Estrada didn’t know what to do with either the superb music or the superb orchestra in front of him.
I could hear Beethoven turn in his grave.
Explain to me again why Andriy Zholdak, an able bodied adult Ukrainian male, hasn’t been conscripted into the Ukrainian army to defend his motherland on the borders of Russia instead of being sheltered in an opera house in a European capital as far from the frontlines as could be, in a production that links evil to the Germans, the French, the English, the Americans, just the 4 greatest supporters of Ukraine’s existence right now, no less?
Since you asked for an explanation (instead of just looking up his age yourself): Zholdak is 61 or 62 years old. The upper age limit for conscription is 60 years so Zholdak is too old for military service. Not defending the production. Zholdak may be a poor director, but he is not a draft-dodger, at least this year.
My beloved and I attended the Generale, beginning of june. Frequently I asked myself, and my beloved, “…where is Beethoven…?”. Needed some beers afterwards in a café nearby with a KCO member, to hopefully overcome this whole poor production…
This is really a shame. The DNO already had a great production (Robert Carson) of “Fidelio”. Sad to see they’ve replaced it with this.
This production is a great candidate for Symphony Hall in Birmingham!
What on earth are you talking about? Do you know anything at all about opera in Birmingham? Why on earth would they stage it in a concert hall, even if Symphony Hall was any longer in a position to promote opera?
OperaVision’s videos range from the sublime to the ridiculous. The best recent production was Albert Herring, done in-the-round with singers who could act (as well as sing). OTOH there was a bizarre Nozze di Figaro in which the set consisted of doors and windows lying flat on the stage, and there were two odd characters who spoke in German (the opera was in Italian) and weren’t part of the plot.
That’s nothing. I once saw a production of Don Giovanni where the entire cast was laying in bed in a bed shop and remained there during the whole work.
Go on tell us where and when.
Dutch National Opera, April 2011, production by Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito. The production was panned severely. This was a retake of the same production of 2006 which was a grave flop, so they decided to offer it again.
Leonora’s red backpack is too clashy-clashy with her pink frock. By the way, what is her Superpower? (Yes, it’s all on that level).
Quite surprising to see German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld appearing in Fidelio. I checked the libretto but he is not mentioned there.
Come on…. opera is make believe anyway and the plot is about fashion disguise to that designer could very well have been suggested by the makers.
Sally
I saw it. Gripping and fascinating. This is and has to be the future. Now on to sorting dull concerts in dull halls.