Beethoven’s only opera belongs to his middle period, where he is praising acts of courage and love. And this opera is exactly that. More than two years ago I wrote about it, supposing I had only the one recording. Turns out I have another.
Beethoven kept revising his opera, long after it’s first performance in 1805. There are three distinct versions. He went from three acts in the first, to just two and a considerably shorter version in 1814. Usually it is this last version that is performed, and the other two are called Leonore. It is the name of the courageous wife of prisoner Florestan, where Fidelio is the name of the disguise.
The premiere in 1805 was a disaster. The Theater an der Wien was filled with French soldiers that had occupied the city as part of Napoleon’s military capture of Europe. Beethoven was popular under the Viennese, but they stayed home. Beethoven got better results in 1806, but feared he didn’t get all the money he was due.
The overture for the opera lived an independent life on the concert stage. The first version is called Leonore no 2, followed by the Leonore no 3 for the opera’s 1806 version. The final version is called Fidelio Overture. Leonore no 1 was written for a Prague performance that never happened. And none of these are used in full performances of the opera itself. The world of opera is a weird one.