Magnificent marionettes Oct 22, 2009
What we need now are puppet versions of "Fidelio," "Il Trovatore" and "Die Meistersinger.". E-mail Joshua Kosman at. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
The Cape Town Opera on tour: I loves you, Porgy Oct 20, 2009
The company was downcast when neither Nelson Mandela nor any bigwig from the African National Congress attended a performance of Fidelio (the opera most closely associated with political freedom) that it gave in 1994 on Robben Island, where Mr Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. Mr Williams remains guardedly optimistic. (The Economist)
Diva's dash from shower to stage Sep 1, 2009
Less than an hour later she was standing on stage at the Sydney Opera House singing the lead role in Beethoven's Fidelio following a desperate call from Opera Australia. I had no time to think,'' Mrs Hoeppner said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Hildegard Behrens, singer famed for Wagnerian roles, 72 Aug 21, 2009
Between her Met debut as Giorgetta in Puccini s Tabarro in 1976 and her appearances as Marie in Berg s Wozzeck in 1999, she sang 171 performances with the company, including Leonore in Beethoven s Fidelio, Elettra in Mozart s Idomeneo, and the title roles in Strauss s Salome and Elektra. She sang the title role in Puccini s Tosca opposite Placido Domingo in the premiere of the popular Franco Zeffirelli staging introduced in 1985, a production later broadcast on public television. (Boston Globe)
Opera singer Behrens dies at 72 Aug 20, 2009
Her breakthrough there was as Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio, under conductor Karl Boehm in 1980, and she was most acclaimed in the late 1980s and early 1990s for her portrayal of Bruennhilde in Wagner's Ring Cycle. Her Met career also included Elettra in Mozart's Idomeneo, Isolde in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Senta in Der Fliegende Hollander, Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, the title roles in Strauss' Elektra and Salome, and Puccini's Tosca. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Opera singer Hildegard Behrens dies in Tokyo Aug 19, 2009
Her breakthrough there was as Leonore in Beethoven's "Fidelio" under conductor Karl Boehm in 1980, and she was most acclaimed in the late 1980s and early 1990s for her portrayal of Bruennhilde in the Otto Schenk production of the Ring Cycle, the Met's first televised staging of Wagner's tetralogy. "She is the finest Bruennhilde of the post-Birgit Nilsson era," Associated Press critic Mike Silverman wrote in 1989. (ABC 7 News, DC)
Lois Hunt; soprano was half of popular operatic duo; 84 Jul 30, 2009
In 1947, her performance as Marzellina in Fidelio in Central City, Colo. caught the attention of the assistant manager of the Metropolitan Opera. (Boston Globe)
Expert claims to solve riddle of Beethoven's 'Elise' Jul 1, 2009
Roeckel was a German soprano and sister of Joseph August Roeckel, the tenor who sang the role of Florestan in a performance of "Fidelio" conducted by the composer in Vienna in 1806. Elisabeth followed her brother to Vienna in 1807 where she was quickly accepted into the composer's inner circle, Kopitz told AFP.. (Yahoo! Asia News)
On screen, a tenor learns to dial down the opera Mar 28, 2009
Fortuitously, Branagh attended a Chicago rehearsal of Beethovan's Fidelio on a day that Kaiser was singing the role of First Prisoner. It's one of the smallest parts in opera, maybe 30 seconds long, but it has a couple of beautiful solo lines, Kaiser said. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Two weekends of Beethoven's music Mar 27, 2009
In 1814, still unsatisfied with the opera, Beethoven completely revised it into the version most often heard today, entitled "Fidelio.". The Honolulu Symphony is performing "Leonore" No. 3 and "Fidelio" to open the first two concerts, the juxtaposition revealing how Beethoven derived such different works for the same overture. (Honolulu Advertiser)
