Liberation opera, revolutionary artwork, an ode to fidelity in love and utopian drama – Fidelio, Beethoven’s only opera, is all of these things. The numerous characterisations and interpretations add an aura of mystery to the opera but demonstrate above all that it is a unique work of musical theatre that expresses the hope for a humane future with justice and liberty for all. The stage direction is in the hands of the Ukrainian director Andriy Zholdak. His visual imagery, replete with symbols, is reminiscent of great film directors such as Andrei Tarkovsky and Ingmar Bergman. Using a distinctive style, Zholdak explores the deeper layers of the universal human drama of Fidelio. ‘Fidelio’ is Leonore. Disguised as a man, she adopts a new name and embarks on a mission to free her lover Florestan from the depths of Pizzaro’s dark dungeons. His tyrannical violence, abuse of power and barbaric behaviour make him one of the most despicable characters in opera history. Indeed, Fidelio’s struggle is a fight to the death. But love brings hope against this backdrop of a corrupt world. Inspired by a true story from the time of the French Revolution, Beethoven wrote a masterpiece whose characters rise above the banal. The symphonic, almost religious nature of his music adds depth to a story in which powerful emotions and big ideas meet. Andrés Orozco Estrada | Jacquelyn Wagner | Eric Cutler | Joseph Sonnleithner | Andriy Zholdak | Simon Machabeli | Daniel Zholdak | Etienne Guiol | Malo Lacroix | Luc Joosten | James Creswell | Nicholas Brownlee | Anna El-Khashem | Linard Vrielink | Edward Ananian-Cooper | Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra -- Event source: https://www.operaballet.nl/en/dutch-national-opera/2023-2024/fidelio