Fidelio

The Kärntnertortheater (Carinthia Gate Theatre) was located at Philharmonikerstrasse 4 until 1870. It played host to many significant opera premieres, including the first performance of the third and final version of Beethoven’s “Fidelio” in 1814.
The libretto for Beethoven's only opera was based on the French “rescue opera” “Léonore, ou L'amour conjugal” (Léonore, or marital love). The original French work was influenced by the French Revolution, and engaged with themes of political freedom, justice and marital fidelity. All three of these themes also figure prominently in Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” In the opera, the heroine Leonore disguises herself as a man in an attempt to free her lover Florestan, who has been wrongfully imprisoned.
“Fidelio initially failed to win audiences over, resulting in its being revised multiple times. This explains why there are also several different versions of the overture. This extract features the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, playing the beginning of the final version of the opera under Hans Swarowsky (1899–1975). The strong contrast between the alternating allegro and adagio passages is emphasised further by major differences in tempo.
(Julia Nobis)