---

Programme Note

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.