Beethoven: Fidelio (2-CD) – Lise Davidsen

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Artists: Lise Davidsen, Christian Elsner, Georg Zeppenfeld, Christina Landshamer, Cornel Frey, Johannes Martin Kränzle, Gunther Grossböck, Aaron Pegram, Chao Deng, Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden, MDR-Rundfunkchor, Dresdner Philharmonie
Conductor: Marek Janowski
Number of Discs: 2
Label: Pentatone
Release Date: March 23, 2021

After their acclaimed recording of Weber’s Freischütz, the Dresdner Philharmonie and its principal conductor Marek Janowski present another German opera classic with Beethoven’s Fidelio. They work together with a stellar cast — well-seasoned in German opera — including Lise Davidsen (Fidelio/Leonore), Christian Elsner (Florestan), Georg Zeppenfeld (Rocco), Christina Landshamer (Marzelline), Cornel Frey (Jaquino), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Don Pizzarro) and Günther Groissböck (Don Fernando). 

This should have been a live concert recording, but Covid-19 frustrated those plans. Luckily, it turned out possible to record Beethoven’s masterpiece in two studio sessions, with two different, established choirs: the Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden, as well as the MDR Leipzig Radio Choir. Katharina Wagner and Daniel Weber have adapted the original dialogues for this recording. 

Fidelio is the quintessential rescue opera, in which a wife goes to any lengths to free her beloved from the chains of a barbaric, oppressive regime. Beethoven’s opera on the power of love and the enlightening power of humanity still resonates with us today, and its music continues to delight and inspire. 

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