Metropolitan Opera – Beethoven’s Fidelio. March 28, 2017.

Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center.  Orchestra (Seat X103, $128.50).

Story.  Leonore disguises herself as Fidelio so she can work in the prison where her husband Florestan is held as a political prisoner by Don Pizarro.  While Don Fernando plans to visit, Pizarro wants the prison warden Rocco to kill Fidelio.  Fernando arrives in time to spare Fidelio of his execution and Pizarro is punished instead.

Conductor – Sebastian Weigle. Lenonore – Adrianne Pieczonka, Florestan – Klaus Florian Vogt, Rocco – Falk Struckmann, Don Pizarro – Greer Grimsley, Don Fernando – Gunther Groissbock, Marzelline – Hanna-Elizbeth Muller, Jaquino – David Portillo.

If the storyline I wrote above is simple, it is because the story is simple.  The only complication is the romantic aside among Marzelline (Rocco’s daughter), Jaquino (her suitor), and Leonore (disguised as Fidelio).  Jetlag hit me tonight, so I lost my concentration every now and then, and I could still follow the plot as it unfolded.

If not the fact this was Beethoven’s only opera, many people (including Anne and I) would ask: who wrote this?  The main shortcoming for me is the simplicity of the story.  One can argue how the characters are built up during the opera, and how the plot falls within the “rescue” genre popular at that time, but there is no escape that the plot is too flimsy to be taken seriously.  The Program Notes talks about how Beethoven was “utterly solipsistic” (not sure that description helps) and wouldn’t be able to compose a Mozart-modeled opera, yet one wonders if the opera would have worked better as a comedy; that, despite my general dislike of comedies.

The sets were first used in 2000, and worked reasonably well.  For Act I it consists of several storeys of prison cells on one side of a courtyard, for Act II a dungeon accessed by a rather high set of ladder rungs.  The climb looks quite daunting, and I can’t image an older or heavier singer coming down from it.  Towards the end of Act II the wall of the dungeon was pushed up by a couple of people (Leonore and Florestan? I am not sure) to reveal a square with a scaffolding.  This can be considered either ingenious, or comical.  I missed how Pizarro ended up on the horse statue with a noose around his neck and a gun at his head; perhaps I dozed off?

The singers did okay.  I was particularly impressed by Muller in the role of Marzelline, in her Met debut.  While her story is tangential, there were substantial lines for the role.  Muller sang with clarity, her strong voice carried well to our part of the auditorium.  Pieczonka as Leonore was very believable as Fidelio.  Vogt, who appeared in Act II, did well as the unjustly imprisoned Florestan. As the suiter Jacquino, Portillo brought the right level of haplessness and comedy to the role.  Grimsley, whom we saw as Wotan several times at the Met and in Seattle, was disappointing: I had to cup my ears if I wanted to hear him clearly.

The “literature” (i.e., Wikipedia and the Program Notes) talks about the many times Beethoven revised the opera, and the four overtures that he composed to go along with it.  Eventually he settled on the fourth one, a bit lighter than others so it would not overwhelm the opening scene.  It may well be true, but I frankly don’t have the ability to make such an observation.  But I know I was somewhat disappointed by the performance, which was on the weak and disorganized side.  There were quite a few ensemble numbers in the opera which I liked, but I suspect they would work equally well for me as ensemble numbers.  The chorus played a limited role, but it was well prepared.

Curtain call.  For some reason I had the B/W mode set for my iPhone.

I saw this “in concert” in 2010, performed by the Hong Kong Philharmonic, conducted by Edo de Waart.  I repeat the same last sentence: “As for the opera itself, I am somewhat disappointed.”

As in the writeup in the HK Phil performance, today’s Program Notes did its version of overselling: “At heart, the opera proclaims how a woman and wife, imbued by conviction, courage, and love, can bring down a tyrant.  Those are ideals at the heart of Beethoven’s own convictions, and to them he brought the full force of his own craft and courage.”  If I were writing for the Program Notes, I would stress the uniqueness of this opera in Beethoven’s oeuvre, and how it illustrates the particular strengths and weaknesses of Beethoven as a composer.  That would be enough to attract me to see this opera.  And for that reason I am glad to have seen it.

The New YorkTimes review is very positive on this production, and points out some interesting facts about the production.

We had little trouble driving up to New York.  However, today was a rainy day, and I was quite soaked and felt cold during the first act.  That didn’t help with my concentration.  The drive back was also straightforward.