Get to know: Beethoven's Fidelio

Ludwig van Beethoven's Fidelio (Op. 72) has become an enduring classic in the operatic repertoire not just because it is the composer's sole work in the form, but also because its powerful themes of bravery in the face of oppression have resonated with audiences for more than two centuries. The riveting, political drama returns to the Lyric stage for the first time in 20 years, running September 26 to October 10, 2024.

Florestan, a fighter for freedom, has been unjustly imprisoned and silenced by his enemy, Pizarro, the governor of a state prison used to detain political prisoners. There, Florestan is slowly being tortured and starved to death. Florestan's wife, Leonore, believing her husband to still be alive, makes it her mission to find and free him. Disguised as a young man, Fidelio, she is employed by the chief jailer, Rocco, as his assistant. Her high-risk actions are undertaken in a selfless spirit, eventually exposing the deceit which keeps the system running.

This new-to-Chicago production stars charismatic South African soprano Elza van den Heever (Chrysothemis in Lyric’s 2018/19 Elektra) as the titular heroine, and tenor Russell Thomas (seen last season as Radamès in Lyric’s Aida) as Florestan. Brian Mulligan returns to Lyric as Pizarro, and Dimitry Ivashchenko, Pogner in Lyric’s 2012/13 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, will sing Rocco. On the podium will be Music Director Enrique Mazzola, in his first outing with Beethoven's powerful score. 

Premiered in 1814, Fidelio was understood in its time as a commentary on contemporary civic issues, and it has served as a clarion call to freedom over the decades since. Originally commissioned by San Francisco Opera to coincide both with Beethoven's 250th birthday and the 2020 election, the work remains breathtakingly relevant. "Beethoven was a true force, with decidedly revolutionary and humanistic ideas," notes Matthew Ozawa, Lyric's Chief Artistic Administration Officer, who will direct his own production, which had its pandemic-delayed premiere in San Francisco in 2021, and enjoyed great success in 2023 at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. "What's interesting about this work is that since its inception, this opera has become a symbol of hope for generations of people afflicted by tyranny."

This Fidelio has been updated to what Ozawa describes as "a Western society somewhere in the world, in a distant past or near future — a modern location where individuals might be separated from their families and where individuals of all ages and races, seen as the other, would be held against their will." Bold and stark, this work at Lyric promises powerful commentary on the current political moment and the eternal verities of love and courage.