I love "Fidelio" but the performance I saw last night on the French TV channel Mezzo was not getting any brownie points from me. It was a 15 Feb. 2004 performance from Zurich with Nicholas Harnoncourt conducting. I did not care much for the singers in this opera performance especially the gal who played Marzelline and the guy playing Jaquino. Fidelio and Rocco were better but I just couldn't watch the entire opera. I ended up changing channels after the end of act one. The sets were practically nonexistent, very minimalistic. The costumes were also a let down. I guess that I am just too spoiled by the 1978 performance with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein starring Gundula Janowitz as Fidelio, Lucia Popp as Marzelline and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Don Fernando.
I was so looking forward to watching this opera production last night but was so disappointed. I'll just have to put on my Bernstein version today to put a smile back on my face.
I was so looking forward to watching this opera production last night but was so disappointed. I'll just have to put on my Bernstein version today to put a smile back on my face.
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