Fidelio (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Fidelio Steve York Ludwig von Beethoven. Fidelio. DVD. Opernhaus Zürich Chorus and Orchestra / Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Recorded live at the Opernhaus Zürich on 1502 2004. With Camilla Nylund, Jonas Kaufmann, Günther Groissböck, Alfred Muff, Lázló Polgár, Elizabeth Rae Magnuson, Christoph Strehl. Ratingen, Germany: TDK, 2005. DVUS-OPFID. $29.99. Zürich Opera's performance of Beethoven's only opera is minimalist in terms of staging and sets, which leaves the listener/ viewer to enjoy a fine overall vocal and orchestral performance. The well-prepared video production enhances the performance by emphasizing dramatic moments through creative camera work and close-ups. Some of the most interesting video work appears during the well-known overture. We see close-up views of orchestral playing on cue as individual solos and sectional soli occur, and a unique view of the conductor from the musicians' vantage point. The orchestra's outstanding performance continues throughout, and thankfully, Harnoncourt does not allow them to overpower the singers. Fidelio's plot is steeped in deceit and intrigue. Leonore disguises herself as Fidelio in order to gain employment at a high-security prison to free her husband, who has been sentenced to death. The jailer's daughter falls in love with her/him and Leonore/Fidelio must agree to marriage in order to maintain secrecy. Eventually, Leonore/Fidelio shocks everyone by challenging the prison governor and placing herself between the executioner's knife and her weakened husband. The opera is full of ensemble singing, and the fine vocalists, along with restraint from the orchestra allow one to hear each vocal line clearly. The first act quartet featuring Leonore/Fidelio, Rocco, Jaquinio, and Marzelline is an example. The camera edits greatly aid non-German speakers' understanding of the plot as the video cues showing individual characters singing different text correspond well with subtitles. Individually, the singers are all quite capable as well. Camilla Nylund as Leonore/ Fidelio takes on this demanding role with authority and strength (both vocally and [End Page 171]dramatically). Lázló Polgár's Rocco is also worthy of note. Polgár has one of those bass voices that one is equally satisfied to hear speaking as singing. The few sections of his spoken dialogue bring to mind some of the best performances of Sarastro from Die Zauberflöte.Alfred Muff, as Pizarro, gives perhaps the most dramatic performance of the cast. Although vocally not as stunning as Nylund or Polgár, Muff portrays the murderous, psychotic prison governor in a way that only close-up video cameras can accurately show. The power of minimal staging and atmospheric lighting, whether on video or live in the opera house, is apparent in the prison scene in which Leonore/Fidelio persuades Rocco to let the prisoners spend some time in the yard (in hopes that she might find her husband among them). The prisoners, with shaved heads and numbers painted on their foreheads, sing standing very close together, lit with a bluish hue, give us the impression that even the coveted prison yard is crowded, dark, and dirty, conjuring images from Orwell's 1984. This subtle lighting does not always work, with some scenes being so dark that the singers can barely be seen during important solo sections. Because Fideliois Beethoven's only foray into this genre, great care is usually taken when mounting a production of this opera. Clearly, Zürich Opera's video production was as important as the stage production, and the sound quality for orchestra, chorus, and soloists is exceptional. Although sung in German, the disc's main menu offers optional subtitles in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish, and scene selection within each act. Steve York Christopher Newport University Copyright © 2006 the Music Library Association, Inc.