Fidelio, Op. 72 - Part 3a
11 views · Published 27 June 2016 · 18:11 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: LIMO Recording Studio · 2016 · Music
Fidelio, Op. 72 Fidelio is the name of an opera with spoken dialogue by Ludwig van Beethoven. His only opera, it was written on a libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner. The story tells how Leonore rescues his husband for political prision, disguised as a guard named 'Fidelio'. The opera underwent many transformations and caused Beethoven many difficulties from an artistic standpoint, with the first and second versions (1804 and 1085) being notably unsuccesful, and the third and final version (1814) achieving success after many revisions and rewritings. Nowadays, the 1814 version is currently referred to as Fidelio, while the others are, by convention, reffered to as Leonore. Likewise, the opera had four versions of its overture, with Beethoven rewriting the entire music at one point. The overtures are now known as Leonore no. 1, Leonore no. 2, Leonore no. 3, and Fidelio. Until the middle of the 20th century, it was common practice to introduce Leonore no. 3 as a musical break between the two scenes of Act II. Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. The crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time. Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven moved to Vienna in his early 20s, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. His hearing began to deteriorate in the late 1790s, yet he continued to compose, conduct, and perform, even after becoming completely deaf.
