Fidelio at Den Norske Opera & Ballett

Beethoven’s Fidelio is an homage to freedom, justice and the greatness inherent in the smallness of the individual. In this concert version of the opera, Elisabeth Teige sings the role of Leonore – the woman who disguises herself as Fidelio the prison guard in order to free her husband Florestan from political imprisonment and death.

The first version of Beethoven’s only opera premiered in Vienna in 1805, with the action taking place in Seville at the end of the 1700s. The strong political movements in Europe in the late 1700s and early 1800s are reflected in well-known parts of the opera, such as the ode to freedom sung by the prisoners’ chorus and the majestic finale, which celebrates Leonore’s courage and vigour.
A mass for humanity

Fidelio has also played an important role in more recent times, as a protest against terror and a celebration of independence. Following the end of the Second World War it was the first opera to be performed in Berlin at Theater des Westens, the only theatre to remain undamaged by the bombing, in September 1945.

In 1948, conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler expressed that Fidelio should be understood as a mass rather than an opera:

“The sentiments it expresses come from the sphere of the sacred, and preach a ‘religion of humanity’ that we have never found so beautiful or necessary as we do today, after all we have lived through. Herein lies the singular power of this unique opera.”
Strong soprano

Leonore is the one of the most significant dramatic soprano roles in the German opera repertoire, and Fidelio’s success is therefore dependent upon a strong soprano voice. Elisabeth Teige was an apprentice soloist at the Norwegian National Opera from 2012 to 2014. In the autumn of 2015 she made her extraordinary debut in the role of Senta in Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. Audiences can now hear her in a new major production, together with a strong team comprised of the Norwegian National Opera’s soloists conducted by Musical Director Karl-Heinz Steffens.

For the 2016/17 season we present three works that constitute clear protests against war, torture and political persecution, but from different times and in a variety of musical styles: Beethoven’s Fidelio, Puccini’s Tosca and Britten’s War Requiem.