Exalted by Beethoven

Fidelio is so full of wonderful music, and its subject matter is so stirring and so perennially relevant, that it should be a frequent feature of any opera house’s repertoire. In fact it is rather rare, and this new production is the first time it has been seen at the Royal Opera for 14 years. To my joy and relief, and a little to my surprise, it is largely a success, and the things that are wrong with it are remediable without drastic alteration — and the cast needs no alteration at all.

This production was first seen in New York in 2000, and is by the director of the Salzburg Festival, Jürgen Flimm. That name struck a chill in my heart, but the worst that can be said is that it is mildly eccentric. The opera is updated to some time in the late 20th century, which does it no harm. The set, by Robert Israel, is simple and serves for each scene equally well, though not especially well for any. It uses almost all of the large stage, and that means that the opening scene has to be set outdoors, with tables and office equipment in the open air. On the right is a huge grille, through which the beseeching hands of the prisoners periodically strain.

When they emerge, thanks to the unsanctioned initiative of Leonore/ Florestan (this in contravention of the text), they look as if they have strayed from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, dressed immaculately in white suits, a few of them stripped to the waist, and obviously having access to the prison’s fitness suite. It’s not easy to see why there should be these departures from verisimilitude, but given the general quality of the performance it’s best not to make too much of them.