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57-512: Past chief conductors of the orchestra have included Ulf Söderblom (1985-1988). Osmo Vänskä became principal guest conductor of the orchestra in 1985, and chief conductor in 1988. During his tenure, he and the orchestra have achieved wide acclaim, particularly with performances and recordings of Sibelius . Other recordings by Vänskä and the orchestra include music of Robert Kajanus and Einojuhani Rautavaara . Vänskä concluded his tenure as Chief Conductor in 2008 and became Conductor Laureate of

114-555: A dagger, Fidelio leaps between him and Florestan and reveals her identity as Leonore, the wife of Florestan. Pizarro raises his dagger to kill her, but she pulls a gun and threatens to shoot him. Just then, the trumpet is heard, announcing the arrival of the minister. Jaquino enters, followed by soldiers, to announce that the minister is waiting at the gate. Rocco tells the soldiers to escort Governor Pizarro upstairs. Florestan and Leonore sing to their victory as Pizarro declares that he will have revenge, while Rocco expresses his fear of what

171-551: A final version was performed at the Kärntnertortheater on 23 May 1814. As these libretto revisions were going on, Beethoven was also revising some of the music. By convention, only the final version is called Fidelio , and the others are referred to as Leonore . The libretto tells how Leonore, disguised as a prison guard named "Fidelio", rescues her husband Florestan from death in a political prison . Bouilly's scenario fits Beethoven's aesthetic and political outlook:

228-475: A letter to Treitschke he said, "I assure you, dear Treitschke, that this opera will win me a martyr's crown. You have by your co-operation saved what is best from the shipwreck. For all this I shall be eternally grateful to you." The full score was not published until 1826, and all three versions are known as Beethoven's Opus 72. The first performance outside Vienna took place in Prague on 21 November 1814, with

285-420: A long and complicated history of composition. Beethoven revised Fidelio three times; the work caused Beethoven so much vexation that he vowed never to compose another opera. The distant origin of Fidelio dates from 1803, when the librettist and impresario Emanuel Schikaneder worked out a contract with Beethoven to write an opera. The contract included free lodging for Beethoven in the apartment complex that

342-723: A music professor, Söderblom taught conducting at the Sibelius Academy and conducted its orchestras from 1965 to 1968 and at the Åbo Akademi University from 1991. Åbo Akademi University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1998. He died the day before his 86th birthday. In addition to the above staged performances, Söderblom also conducted the world premiere recording of Aarre Merikanto 's Juha in 1972. Fidelio Fidelio ( / f ɪ ˈ d eɪ l j oʊ / ; German: [fiˈdeːlio] ), originally titled Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe ( Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love ), Op . 72,

399-522: A quartet about the love Marzelline has for Fidelio ( Mir ist so wunderbar —"A wondrous feeling fills me", also known as the Canon Quartet). Rocco tells Fidelio that as soon as the governor has left for Seville, Marzelline and Fidelio can be married. He tells them, however, that unless they have money, they will not be happy. ( Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben —"If you don't have any money"). Fidelio demands to know why Rocco will not allow for help in

456-844: A revival in Vienna on 3 November 1822. In its two-act version, the opera was staged in London on 18 May 1832 at the King's Theatre , and in New York on 9 September 1839 at the Park Theatre . Fidelio was Arturo Toscanini 's first complete opera performance given in the United States since 1915 and the first to be broadcast on radio, over the NBC network, in December 1944. Toscanini conducted

513-502: A story of personal sacrifice, heroism, and eventual triumph. With its underlying struggle for liberty and justice mirroring contemporary political movements in Europe, such topics are typical of Beethoven's "middle period". Notable moments in the opera include the "Prisoners' Chorus" ( O welche Lust —"O what a joy"), an ode to freedom sung by a chorus of political prisoners, Florestan's vision of Leonore who comes as an angel to rescue him, and

570-659: A three-act German libretto adapted by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly , premiered at the Theater an der Wien on 20 November 1805, with additional performances the following two nights. The success of these performances was hindered by the fact that Vienna was under French military occupation, and most of the audience were French military officers who had little interest in German opera. After this premiere, Beethoven's friends suggested he revise and shorten

627-450: A trumpet be sounded at the minister's arrival. He offers Rocco money to kill Florestan, but Rocco refuses ( Jetzt, Alter, jetzt hat es Eile! —"Now, old man, we must hurry!"). Pizarro says he will kill Florestan himself instead, and orders Rocco to dig a grave for him in the floor of the dungeon. Once the grave is ready, Rocco is to sound the alarm, upon which Pizarro will come into the dungeon and kill Florestan. Fidelio, hearing Pizarro's plot,

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684-510: Is actually Leonore in disguise ( Jetzt, Schätzchen, jetzt sind wir allein —"Now, darling, now we are alone"). Jaquino leaves, and Marzelline expresses her desire to become Fidelio's wife ( O wär ich schon mit dir vereint —"If only I were already united with thee"). Rocco enters, looking for Fidelio, who then enters carrying a heavy load of newly repaired chains. Rocco compliments Fidelio, and misinterprets her modest reply as hidden attraction to his daughter. Marzelline, Fidelio, Rocco, and Jaquino sing

741-483: Is agitated, but hopes to rescue Florestan ( Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin? and Komm, Hoffnung, lass den letzten Stern —"Monster! Where are you off to so fast?" and "Come, hope, let the last star"). Jaquino once again begs Marzelline to marry him, but she continues to refuse. Fidelio, hoping to discover Florestan, asks Rocco to let the poor prisoners roam in the garden and enjoy the beautiful weather. Marzelline similarly begs him, and Rocco agrees to distract Pizarro while

798-506: Is alone in his cell, deep inside the dungeons. He sings first of his trust in God, and then has a vision of his wife Leonore coming to save him ( Gott! Welch Dunkel hier! —"God! What darkness here" and In des Lebens Frühlingstagen —"In the spring days of life"). Florestan collapses and falls asleep, while Rocco and Fidelio come to dig his grave. As they dig, Rocco urges Fidelio to hurry ( Wie kalt ist es in diesem unterirdischen Gewölbe! —"How cold it

855-526: Is in this underground chamber" and Nur hurtig fort, nur frisch gegraben —"Come get to work and dig", the "Gravedigging Duet"). Florestan awakes and Fidelio recognizes him. When Florestan learns that the prison he is in belongs to Pizarro, he asks that a message be sent to his wife, Leonore, but Rocco says that it is impossible. Florestan begs for a drop to drink, and Rocco tells Fidelio to give him one. Florestan does not recognize Fidelio, his wife Leonore in disguise, but tells Fidelio that there will be reward for

912-464: Is played as Pizarro enters with his guards. Rocco warns Pizarro that the minister plans a surprise visit tomorrow to investigate accusations of Pizarro's cruelty. Pizarro exclaims that he cannot let the minister discover the imprisoned Florestan, who has been thought dead. Instead, Pizarro will have Florestan murdered ( Ha, welch ein Augenblick —"Hah! What a moment!"). As a signal, Pizarro orders that

969-500: Is scheduled to conclude her Sinfonia Lahti tenure. In January 2024, the orchestra announced the appointment of Hannu Lintu as its new artistic partner, effective with the autumn of 2025, with an open-ended contract whilst the orchestra searches for a new chief conductor. Kalevi Aho was appointed composer-in-residence for the orchestra in 1992, and the orchestra has recorded many of his recent works. Ulf S%C3%B6derblom Ulf Arne Söderblom (5 February 1930 – 4 February 2016)

1026-440: Is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven . The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly . The opera premiered at Vienna's Theater an der Wien on 20 November 1805. The following year, Beethoven's friend Stephan von Breuning rewrote the libretto, shortening the work from three acts to two. After further work on the libretto by Georg Friedrich Treitschke ,

1083-534: Is to come ( Es schlägt der Rache Stunde —"Revenge's bell tolls"). Together, Florestan and Leonore sing a love duet ( O namenlose Freude! —"O unnamed joy!"). Here, the overture "Leonore No. 3" is sometimes played. The prisoners and townsfolk sing to the day and hour of justice which has come ( Heil sei dem Tag! —"Hail to the day!"). The minister, Don Fernando, announces that tyranny has ended. Rocco enters, with Leonore and Florestan, and he asks Don Fernando to help them ( Wohlan, so helfet! Helft den Armen! —"So help! Help

1140-615: The Finnish National Opera in 1957, initially as a choral conductor, and in 1973 became its Chief Conductor and Music Director, a position he would hold for the next 20 years. He was also instrumental in the revival of the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 1967 after 50 years of dormancy. The re-opening was celebrated with Söderblom conducting Beethoven's Fidelio in the Olavinlinna castle . As

1197-609: The NBC Symphony Orchestra , featuring soloists Rose Bampton , Jan Peerce and Eleanor Steber , with the performance divided into two consecutive broadcasts. The recording of the opera was later issued by RCA Victor on LP and CD. Fidelio was the first opera performed in Berlin after the end of World War II, with the Deutsche Oper staging it under the baton of Robert Heger at the only undamaged theatre,

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1254-647: The Theater des Westens , in September 1945. At the time, Thomas Mann remarked: "What amount of apathy was needed [by musicians and audiences] to listen to Fidelio in Himmler 's Germany without covering their faces and rushing out of the hall!" Not long after the end of World War II and the fall of Nazism , conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler remarked in Salzburg in 1948: [T]he conjugal love of Leonore appears, to

1311-686: The Vienna State Opera was re-opened with Fidelio , conducted by Karl Böhm . This performance was the first live television broadcast by ORF at a time when there were about 800 television sets in Austria. The first night of Fidelio at the Semperoper in Dresden on 7 October 1989 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the DDR ( East Germany ) coincided with violent demonstrations at

1368-502: The (to him) frivolous-seeming dramas of character that had impelled Mozart's earlier work. Beethoven, who heard Cherubini's work in Vienna, joined the new trend with enthusiasm; and indeed Fidelio borrows its plot, characters, and (according to Dean) even certain musical devices from the work of Beethoven's predecessors in the French rescue-opera tradition. These include Pierre Gaveaux 's opera Léonore, ou L'amour conjugal (1798) and Ferdinando Paer 's Leonora (1804). Fidelio had

1425-427: The 1805 performances were billed as Fidelio at the theatre's insistence, to avoid confusion with the operas by Gaveaux and Paer mentioned above. Beethoven published the 1806 libretto and, in 1810, a vocal score under the title Leonore . The current convention is to use the name Leonore for both the 1805 (three-act) and 1806 (two-act) versions and Fidelio only for the final 1814 revision. The first version, with

1482-454: The 1805 premiere, is believed to have been the overture now known as "Leonore No. 2" in C major . Beethoven then focused this version for the performances of 1806, creating "Leonore No. 3", also in C major. The latter is considered by many listeners as the greatest of the four overtures, and indeed it is often performed outside the context of the opera, as a concert piece. But as an intensely dramatic, full-scale symphonic movement it had

1539-520: The 19th century. Gustav Mahler is particularly remembered for adhering to this practice when he led a performance. When performed at this point in the opera, the overture acts as a kind of musical reprise of the rescue scene that has just taken place. Two years prior to the opening scene, the Spanish nobleman Florestan has exposed or attempted to expose certain crimes of a rival nobleman, Pizarro. In revenge, Pizarro has secretly imprisoned Florestan in

1596-622: The Mass than of the Opera to it; the sentiments it expresses come from the sphere of the sacred, and preach a 'religion of humanity' which we never found so beautiful or necessary as we do today, after all we have lived through. Herein lies the singular power of this unique opera.... Independent of any historical consideration ... the flaming message of Fidelio touches deeply. We realize that for us Europeans, as for all men, this music will always represent an appeal to our conscience. On 5 November 1955,

1653-487: The background of domestic realism tinged with comedy, the superposition of a heroic or patriotic story involving violence and often a spectacular catastrophe, a happy end produced not by a deus ex machina but by an act of superhuman courage, a strong ethical content tending to divide the characters into sheep and goats : this was the pattern of rescue opera ... Beethoven adopted it lock, stock, and barrel . This new kind of heroic opera appealed far more to Beethoven than

1710-529: The boy Fidelio, she earns the favor of her employer, Rocco, and also the affections of his daughter Marzelline, much to Jaquino's chagrin. On orders, Rocco has been giving the imprisoned Florestan diminishing rations until he is nearly starved to death. Jaquino and Marzelline are alone in Rocco's house. Jaquino asks Marzelline when she will agree to marry him, but she says that she will never marry him now that she has fallen in love with Fidelio, unaware that Fidelio

1767-596: The city's main train station. The applause after the "Prisoners' Chorus" interrupted the performance for considerable time, and the production by Christine Mielitz had the chorus appear in normal street clothes at the end, signifying their role as representatives of the audience. Four weeks later, on 9 November 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall signalled the end of East Germany's regime. Beethoven struggled to produce an appropriate overture for Fidelio , and ultimately went through four versions. His first attempt, for

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1824-504: The dungeons, especially as he always seems to return short of breath. Rocco says that there is a dungeon down there where he can never take Fidelio, which houses a man who has been wasting away for two years. Marzelline begs her father to keep Fidelio away from such a terrible sight, but Fidelio claims courage sufficient to cope with it. Rocco and Fidelio sing of courage ( Gut, Söhnchen, gut —"All right, sonny, all right"), and Marzelline joins in their acclamations. All but Rocco leave. A march

1881-509: The effect of overwhelming the (rather light) initial scenes of the opera. Beethoven accordingly experimented with cutting it back somewhat, for a planned 1808 performance in Prague; this is believed to be the version now called "Leonore No. 1". Finally, for the 1814 revival Beethoven began anew, and with fresh musical material wrote what is now known as the Fidelio overture, in E major . As this somewhat lighter overture seems to work best of

1938-399: The extension of Kamu's contract through the end of July 2016, at which time Kamu concluded his tenure as principal conductor. In August 2015, the orchestra announced the appointment of Dima Slobodeniouk as its next principal conductor, effective in the autumn of 2016, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. In April 2018, the orchestra announced the extension of Slobodeniouk's contract with

1995-407: The four as a start to the opera, Beethoven's final intentions are generally respected in contemporary productions. The two scenes of the last act require a major scene change, and it has long been a temptation for conductors to integrate the acclaimed "Leonore No. 3" overture into the opera by performing it during this interval. According to David Cairns , the practice goes back to the middle of

2052-616: The good deed in Heaven ( Euch werde Lohn in bessern Welten —"You shall be rewarded in better worlds"). Fidelio further begs Rocco to be allowed to give Florestan a crust of bread, and Rocco consents. Rocco obeys his orders and sounds the alarm for Pizarro, who appears and asks if all is ready. Rocco says that it is, and instructs Fidelio to leave the dungeon, but Fidelio hides instead. Pizarro reveals his identity to Florestan, who accuses him of murder ( Er sterbe! Doch er soll erst wissen —"Let him die! But first he should know"). As Pizarro brandishes

2109-474: The knowledge that he must be killed and buried within the hour. Fidelio is shaken; Rocco tries to discourage Fidelio from coming, but Fidelio insists. As they prepare to leave, Jaquino and Marzelline rush in and tell Rocco to run, as Pizarro has learned that the prisoners were allowed to roam, and is furious ( Ach, Vater, Vater, eilt! —"O, father, father, hurry!"). Before they can leave, Pizarro enters and demands an explanation. Rocco, thinking quickly, answers that

2166-411: The latter was fired from his post as theater director in 1804. Fidelio itself, which Beethoven began in 1804 immediately after giving up on Vestas Feuer , was first performed in 1805 and was extensively revised by the composer for subsequent performances in 1806 and 1814. Although Beethoven used the title Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe ("Leonore, or The Triumph of Married Love"),

2223-400: The libretto by Georg Friedrich Treitschke . This version was first performed at the Kärntnertortheater on 23 May 1814, again under the title Fidelio . The 17-year-old Franz Schubert was in the audience, having sold his school books to obtain a ticket. The increasingly deaf Beethoven conducted the performance, "assisted" by Michael Umlauf , who later performed the same task for Beethoven at

2280-468: The modern individual armed with realism and psychology, irremediably abstract and theoretical.... Now that political events in Germany have restored to the concepts of human dignity and liberty their original significance, this is the opera which, thanks to the music of Beethoven, gives us comfort and courage.... Certainly, Fidelio is not an opera in the sense we are used to, nor is Beethoven a musician for

2337-452: The opera into just two acts, and he did so with the help of his close friend, Stephan von Breuning. The composer also wrote a new overture (now known as "Leonore No.3"; see below). In this form, the opera was first performed on 29 March and 10 April 1806, with greater success. Further performances were prevented by a disagreement between Beethoven and the theatre management. In 1814, Beethoven revised his opera yet again, with additional work on

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2394-453: The orchestra through 31 July 2021, at which time he concluded his Lahti tenure. In December 2018, Anja Bihlmaier first guest-conducted the orchestra. In September 2019, the orchestra announced the appointment of Bihlmaier as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2020-2021 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. Bihlmaier is the first female conductor named to the post. In 2015, Dalia Stasevska first guest-conducted

2451-402: The orchestra. Jukka-Pekka Saraste served as artistic advisor to the orchestra from August 2008 to July 2011. In April 2009, the orchestra announced the appointment of Okko Kamu as its next chief conductor, as of the autumn of 2011, after the conclusion of Saraste's tenure as artistic advisor. Kamu's initial contract was through the spring of 2014. In November 2012, the orchestra announced

2508-486: The orchestra. In May 2020, the orchestra announced the appointment of Stasevska as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2021-2022 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. Stasevska is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. In March 2023, Sinfonia Lahti announced an extension of Stasevska's contract through 31 July 2025, at which time she

2565-592: The poor ones!"). Rocco explains how Leonore disguised herself as Fidelio to save her husband. Previously in love with Fidelio, Marzelline is shocked. Rocco describes Pizarro's murder plot, and Pizarro is led away to prison. Florestan is released from his chains by Leonore, and the crowd sings the praises of Leonore, the loyal savior of her husband ( Wer ein holdes Weib errungen —"Who has got a good wife"). The orchestra consists of 1 piccolo , 2 flutes , 2 oboes , 2 clarinets , 2 bassoons , contrabassoon , 4 horns , 2 trumpets , 2 trombones , timpani , and strings . There

2622-479: The premiere of the Ninth Symphony . The role of Pizarro was taken by Johann Michael Vogl , who later became known for his collaborations with Schubert. This version of the opera was a great success, and Fidelio has been part of the operatic repertory ever since. Although critics have noted the similarity in plot with Gluck 's opera Orfeo ed Euridice (1762) — another underground rescue mission in which

2679-405: The prison over which he is governor. Simultaneously, Pizarro has spread false rumors about Florestan's death. The warden of the prison, Rocco, has a daughter, Marzelline, and an assistant, Jaquino, who is in love with Marzelline. The faithful wife of Florestan, Leonore, suspects that her husband is still alive. Disguised as a boy, under the alias "Fidelio", she gains employment working for Rocco. As

2736-510: The prisoners are set free. The prisoners, ecstatic at their temporary freedom, sing joyfully ( O welche Lust —"O what a joy"), but remembering that they might be caught by the prison's governor Pizarro, are soon quiet. After meeting with Pizarro, Rocco reenters and tells Fidelio that Pizarro will allow the marriage, and Fidelio will also be permitted to join Rocco on his rounds in the dungeon ( Nun sprecht, wie ging's? —"Speak, how did it go?"). Rocco and Fidelio prepare to go to Florestan's cell, with

2793-461: The prisoners were given a little freedom in honor of the Spanish king's name day , and quietly suggests that Pizarro should save his anger for the prisoner in the dungeon below. Pizarro tells him to hurry and dig the grave, and then announces that the prisoners will be locked up again. Rocco, Leonore, Jacquino, and Marzelline reluctantly usher the prisoners back to their cells. ( Leb wohl, du warmes Sonnenlicht —"Farewell, you warm sunshine"). Florestan

2850-399: The protagonist must control, or conceal, his emotions in order to retrieve his spouse — it is not known whether Beethoven or any of the librettists had this in mind while constructing the opera. No other work of Beethoven's caused him so much frustration and disappointment. He found the difficulties posed by writing and producing an opera so disagreeable, he vowed never to compose another. In

2907-414: The scene in which the rescue finally takes place. The finale celebrates Leonore's bravery with alternating contributions of soloists and chorus. In its time, Fidelio was Beethoven's contribution to an ongoing and successful tradition of operatic composition; a tradition harder to discern today because none of the operas involved, other than Beethoven's, has survived into the modern reportory. The tradition

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2964-413: The theater, or a dramaturgist. He is quite a bit more, a whole musician, and beyond that, a saint and a visionary. That which disturbs us is not a material effect, nor the fact of the 'imprisonment'; any film could create the same effect. No, it is the music, it is Beethoven himself. It is this 'nostalgia of liberty' he feels, or better, makes us feel; this is what moves us to tears. His Fidelio has more of

3021-416: Was a Finnish conductor and music professor. He was the principal conductor of the Finnish National Opera from 1973 to 1993 and was a key figure in the revival of the Savonlinna Opera Festival . A champion of Finnish music, he has conducted the world premieres of several works by Finnish composers including Kokkonen 's The Last Temptations and Sallinen 's Kullervo and The Horseman . Söderblom

3078-679: Was born in Turku , the son of Arne Paulinus Soderblom and Gerda Mathilda Rajalin. He studied at the Åbo Akademi University in Turku with Otto Andersson from 1950 to 1952 and at the Vienna Music Academy with Hans Swarowsky from 1954 to 1957. He made his conducting debut in 1957 conducting a production of The Magic Flute in Turku. That same year he married physiotherapist Karin Helena Ehrnrooth. He began conducting for

3135-551: Was imported to Beethoven's Vienna from Revolutionary France and involved work of many composers, most notably Luigi Cherubini , whose work Beethoven (unusually) strongly admired. The new French school arrived in Vienna in 1802 with the performance of Cherubini's Lodoïska , and led, per Dean, to "an avalanche of French operas, many of which became more popular in Vienna than in Paris." Many of these operas were so-called "rescue operas", which Dean describes thus: The ... singspiel form,

3192-400: Was not entirely wasted, as two important numbers from Fidelio , Pizarro's "'Ha! Welch' ein Augenblick!" and the duet "O namenlose Freude" for Leonore and Florestan, both originated as music for Vestas Feuer . Beethoven continued to live at the Theater an der Wien for some time after he had abandoned Vestas Feuer for Fidelio , and was eventually freed from his obligations to Schikaneder after

3249-431: Was part of Schikaneder's large suburban theater, the Theater an der Wien . Beethoven was to set a new libretto by Schikaneder, entitled Vestas Feuer ; however, this libretto was not to Beethoven's liking. He spent about a month composing music for it, then abandoned it when the possibility presented itself of joining the new, to Beethoven more meaningful, French heroic tradition. The time Beethoven spent on Vestas Feuer

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