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Programme Note

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Cast List:
   DON FERNANDO, Minister of State: Bass
   DON PIZARRO, governor of the prison: Bass
   FLORESTAN, a State prisoner, husband of Leonore: Tenor
   LEONORE, wife of Florestan, disguised as a youth under the name of Fidelio: Soprano
   ROCCO, jailer at the prison: Bass
   MARZELLINE, his daughter: Soprano
   JACQUINO, a porter at the prison: Tenor
   Soldiers, Prisoners, and People

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Synopsis:
Beethoven’s only full length opera tells of the rescue of the political prisoner Florestan by his wife Leonore. Leonore dressed as a young boy, Fidelio, gets a job with the prison warden Rocco. She persuades Rocco to let the prisoners out into the daylight for a short time, hoping that this will offer Florestan his best chance at escape. But unbeknownst to her, the tyrannical governor has shackled Florestan in a dungeon and plans to kill him to prevent his being discovered by the authorities who believe him already to be dead. Leonore discovers the plot before it is too late and steps in just in time preventing his death and ensuring his freedom.