Fidelio at Grand Théâtre de Genève

Imprisonment, the thirst for liberty and the blind determination of a passionate love: Leonore is ready to do anything to save her husband Florestan, held prisoner by the cruel governor Don Pizarro whose evil actions he had denounced. From the dark depths of his dungeon, she will bring Florestan back to the light of day. Beethoven’s one and only opera, Fidelio, has an aura of which very few works of the lyric repertory can boast. As in the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven’s idealism radiates throughout the work, which he spent ten years composing. A hymn to universal values, Fidelio’s message is a powerful reminder that, even when subject to the most cruel tyrants, human beings must never give up hope, as it is their only way to achieve liberty. Making use of elements drawn from oratorio, Singspiel and rescue opera, Fidelio goes beyond the usual categories of genre to constitute a magnificent work of art and a fine example of our world’s cultural heritage.