FIDELIO Beethoven – Dutch National Opera

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? Dutch 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. Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 6 July 2024 at 19:00 CET to 6 November 2024 at 12:00 CET: CAST Don Fernando Mark Kurmanbayev Florestan Eric Cutler Rocco James Creswell Don Pizarro Nicholas Brownlee Leonore Jacquelyn Wagner Marzelline Anna El-Khashem Jaquino Linard Vrielink First prisoner Stefan Kennedy Second prisoner Peter Arink Orchestra Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Chorus Dutch National Opera Chorus Music Ludwig van Beethoven Text Joseph Sonnleithner New dialogues by Andriy Zholdak Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada Director & lighting Andriy Zholdak Sets Andriy Zholdak Daniel Zholdak Costumes Andriy Zholdak Simon Machabeli Video Etienne Guiol Video assistant Malo Lacroix Dramaturg Luc Joosten OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. @operavision