Istanbul State Opera Ballet Opens its Season With FIDELIO

Istanbul State Opera Ballet has opened its season with Fidelio. Performances run through tomorrow, September 5.

Fidelio is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, with the work premiering at Vienna's Theater an der Wien on 20 November 1805. The following year, Stephan von Breuning helped shorten the work from three acts to two. After further work on the libretto by Georg Friedrich Treitschke, a final version was performed at the Kärntnertortheater on 23 May 1814.

Florestan is a political prisoner in the hands of Governor Don Pizarro. Leonore, Florestan's wife, wants to free her husband on her own. She dresses up as a man and gets hired under the name Fidelio by the prison warden Rocco.

The minister Don Fernando announces a visit to the prison. Don Pizarro panics and orders Rocco to kill Florestan. Rocco refuses and Pizarro decides to commit the crime himself. Don Pizarro appears with his pistol drawn to kill Florestan. Fidelio throws herself in between and shouts, first kill his wife! At this moment the trumpets announce the arrival of Don Fernando. Pizarro flees. The rescued Leonore and Florestan fall into each other's arms. The dungeons are opened, all are freed.

Learn more at https://www.operabale.gov.tr/en-us/Pages/workdetail.aspx?EserKodu=2325.