Dutch National Opera
Fidelio
Dates
5-29 Jun 2024
Location
Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage
Running time
3:00, incl. 1 interval
Tickets
na
Love, revolution and liberty
Liberation opera, revolutionary artwork, an ode to fidelity in love and utopian drama – Fidelio, Beethoven’s only opera, is all of these things. The numerous characterisations and interpretations add an aura of mystery to the opera but demonstrate above all that it is a unique work of musical theatre that expresses the hope for a humane future with justice and liberty for all.
The stage direction is in the hands of the Ukrainian director Andriy Zholdak. His visual imagery, replete with symbols, is reminiscent of great film directors such as Andrei Tarkovsky and Ingmar Bergman. Using a distinctive style, Zholdak explores the deeper layers of the universal human drama of Fidelio. These layers can sometimes be difficult to follow. To help visitors better interpret what they will see on stage, we recommend reading the information page.
Photo: Marta Syrko
On Saturday, 26 October, the Dutch newspaper Het Parool published an article about the inappropriate behaviour of guest director Andriy Zholdak during the production period of the opera Fidelio, which was staged by Dutch National Opera in June. You can read our response to the article here. In this statement we clarify how our organisation handled the situation at the time.
Performance information
The version chosen for this production of Fidelio is largely based on Gustav Mahler's 1904 version. This means that the Rocco aria is not performed, but the Leonore 3 overture is heard in the finale of the second act. During one of the scene changes, you will also hear a fragment of the Funeral March from Symphony No. 3 (Eroica).
Opera in two acts
Sung in German
Libretto Joseph Sonnleithner
Musical direction Andrés Orozco Estrada
Stage direction, set and lighting design Andriy Zholdak
Costume design Andriy Zholdak and Simon Machabeli
Set design Andriy Zholdak and Daniel Zholdak
Video design Etienne Guiol
Associate Video design Malo Lacroix
Sound design Juan Verdaguer
Dramaturgy Luc Joosten
Don Fernando Mark Kurmanbayev*
Florestan Eric Cutler
Rocco James Creswell
Don Pizarro Nicholas Brownlee
Leonore Jacquelyn Wagner
Marzelline Anna El-Khashem
Jaquino Linard Vrielink
Erster Gefangener Stefan Kennedy
Zweiter Gefangener Peter Arink
*Dutch National Opera Studio
Chorus of Dutch National Opera
Chorus master Edward Ananian-Cooper
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Part of the Holland Festival
Fragment - Fidelio
Opera in the Park - Holland Festival - for free
Each year during the Holland Festival, an opera included in the programme is also shown for free on a large screen outside in the park. This edition of Opera in the Park consists of composer Ludwig van Beethovens opera Fidelio on Sunday 16 June.
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is one of the world’s top orchestras. Since it was founded in 1888, it has worked with leading conductors and soloists. Klaus Mäkelä is the orchestra’s artistic partner and will become its chief conductor in 2027. The orchestra plays around eighty concerts a year in the Concertgebouw and forty in other prestigious venues. It also reaches music lovers around the world with its videos, streaming, radio and TV broadcasts, CDs and DVDs.
Photo: Simon van Boxtel
About Holland Festival
Holland Festival is the largest international performing arts festival in the Netherlands and one of the oldest festivals in Europe. The festival was established in 1947 and will celebrate its 77th anniversary in 2024.
The festival takes place every year, In June, in and around Amsterdam, at various locations, indoors and outdoors, large-scale and intimate, online and offline.
Partners Dutch National Opera Studio
