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The UP coming, 5 March 2020 |
Brooke Snowe |
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Beethoven: Fidelio, Royal Opera House London, ab 1. März 2020 |
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Fidelio at The Royal Opera House
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2020 is all about Beethoven, as it marks 250 years since the birth of the
composer. As a result, London and the rest of the musical world will be
featuring works by the composer to celebrate this occasion. The Royal Opera
House is no exception, presenting their new, sold-out adaptation of Fidelio
– Beethoven’s only opera. This new rendition is likely to make its mark in
the field, with a star-studded cast and team behind it.
Fidelio
follows the cross-dressing lead female Leonore, who disguises herself as a
prison guard called Fidelio in order to rescue her husband Florestan (Jonas
Kaufmann) from death in a political prison. Beethoven made many
forward-thinking decisions in his casting and treatment of gender. Firstly,
the lead female is the main protagonist, rather than a stereotypical victim,
but also there’s the added element of cross-dressing. These decisions
elevate Beethoven’s opera, positioning it as a progressive one with themes
that are still relevant today: power, loss and love.
Taking on the
lead role is opera’s rising star and momentous soprano Lise Davidsen. At 28
years old, Davidsen has shot to fame following her incredible win at the
operatic competition Operalia. Since this feat in 2015, she has grown across
the world stage. Fidelio is Davidsen’s first starring role in London and she
has fulfilled the high expectations imposed upon her. Her voice surpasses
the orchestra in full flow, whilst creating beautiful moments of light and
shade. She has incredible control and range, with acute acting skills too,
creating moments of real, raw emotion that wouldn’t go amiss in the best
West End theatres.
Starring alongside her is renowned operatic tenor
Kaufmann, who is being kept in isolation underground. Kaufmann always draws
audiences from far and wide, but this particular show is bound to be
special, being in his native language. Kaufmann uses his entire body to
assist in his dark opening aria, with his limbs sprawled across the
astonishing set as he attempts to move to its wider perimeters despite being
limited by his chains. This creates a lovely contrast to his real elation in
the final moments of the scene when he is set free.
The innovative
staging by Tobias Kratzer nods to a revolutionary atmosphere; Act II saw the
chorus surrounding Florestan positioned on a dark and earthy boulder, making
the set feel reactive and real. The chorus’s reactions are projected onto
the cyclorama, creating a stark contrast to Florestan’s situation,
highlighting his lack of freedom and suffering as he is ostracised by the
masses.
Fidelio feels more like an experimental piece of theatre than
a traditional opera, with brave staging and a thrilling chorus giving real
energy to the incredible score. These decisions have been made in order to
bring the production into the realms of today, showing that these themes
stand the test of time and that ultimately, anything can be achieved in the
name of love.
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