Beethoven: Fidelio

Description

After their acclaimed recording of Weber's Freischütz, the Dresdner Philharmonie and its principal conductor Marek Janowski present another classic of German opera with Beethoven's Fidelio. They are working with an exceptional cast - well-versed in German opera - including Lise Davidsen (Fidelio/Leonore), Christian Elsner (Florestan), Georg Zeppenfeld (Rocco), Christina Landshamer (Marzelline), Cornel Frey (Jaquino), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Don Pizzarro), and Günther Groissböck (Don Fernando). It was supposed to be a live concert recording, but Covid-19 changed the plans. Fortunately, it became possible to record Beethoven's masterpiece in two studio sessions, with two different and renowned choirs: the Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden, as well as the MDR Leipzig Radio Choir. Katharina Wagner and Daniel Weber adapted the original dialogues for this recording. Fidelio is the essence of the rescue opera, in which a wife does everything to free her beloved from the chains of a barbaric and oppressive regime. Beethoven's opera about the power of love and the enlightening power of humanity still resonates with us today, and its music continues to delight and inspire.