| Ludwig van Beethoven operas |
|
• Fidelio (1805) |
“Fidelio” by Ludwig van Beethoven
Premiere / date of written: 20 November 1805
Fidelio is Ludwig van Beethoven’s only opera, first performed in 1805. A powerful tale of courage, love, and freedom, it tells the story of Leonore, who disguises herself as a man named “Fidelio” to rescue her husband Florestan from unjust imprisonment. The opera is celebrated for its dramatic intensity, noble themes, and Beethoven’s deeply emotional music.
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, 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.
Libretti
| # | Language | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
German
 |
original libretto
line-by-line of the original libretto
External links
- Fidelio Wikipedia
- Sheet Music — www.sheetmusicplus.com