The first premiere of the current season at the Vienna State Opera refreshes the institution's repertoire by presenting, after seven decades, a new production of Fidelio-the only opera completed by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Radio România Muzical is once again the only broadcaster to present this performance live, on December 16th, offered through the European Broadcasting Union.

A title that has been present in the seasons of the Vienna Opera since its very first year of existence (the building was inaugurated in May 1869, and on June 10th the premiere was Fidelio), the opera was also chosen-because of its symbolism-for the reopening of the institution 70 years ago. The building, severely damaged during the Second World War, had been reconstructed; thus, Fidelio became a symbol of hope, solidarity, and freedom. On that occasion, November 5th, 1955, the premiere conducted by Karl Böhm was broadcast live on Austrian television.

With opus number 72, the opera initially had a libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner, in fact a German translation and adaptation of the French opera Léonore, ou Le triomphe de l'amour conjugal (Leonora or The Triumph of Conjugal Love) by Pierre Gaveaux and Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. After the world premiere in Vienna (Theater an der Wien) in 1805, the libretto was rewritten by Stephan von Breuning, who condensed the action into two acts instead of three, under the title Leonore. Until the 1814 premiere of the final version of Fidelio (at the Kärntnertortheater, also in Vienna), the text also benefited from contributions by Georg Friedrich Treitschke. At the same time, Beethoven revised the score.

The new production of Fidelio is directed by Nikolaus Habjan (a graduate in musical theatre directing, though primarily active in puppet theatre); this marks his debut as a director on the Vienna State Opera stage.

A recently edited score has been chosen, including spoken dialogues written by Paulus Hochgatterer.

The musical direction is entrusted to Franz Welser-Möst; the Austrian conductor has collaborated with the Vienna Opera since 1987 and served as the institution's Music Director from 2010 to 2014.

The cast includes: Swedish soprano Malin Byström (Leonore / Fidelio), Kuwaiti-German bass Tareq Nazmi (Rocco), British tenor David Butt Philip (Florestan), German tenor Daniel Jenz (Jaquino), Lithuanian bass Simonas Strazdas (Don Fernando), German soprano Kathrin Zukowski (Marzelline), British baritone Christopher Maltman (Don Pizarro), Hungarian tenor Daniel Lökös (First Prisoner), and Greek bass Panajotis Pratsos (Second Prisoner). Puppet actors Manuela Linshalm, Max Konrad, Angelo Konzett, and Alexandra Pecher compete. They are joined by the Chorus and Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera.

The choice of this broadcast is mine not only because it is an event of significance from so many perspectives, but also because the cast originally included soprano Florina Ilie (Marzelline). A former member of the Radio Children's Choir, the young artist has built a beautiful career path, becoming a soloist of the Vienna State Opera starting with the 2023-2024 season. Unfortunately, a health issue that arose during the final rehearsals led to her replacement in the first series of performances; five performances are scheduled in December, but the title will be revived in future seasons. I hope to hear Florina Ilie singing in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito (the Vienna Opera premiere on March 9th, 2026), a production already announced to be broadcast live by EBU members.

Therefore, I invite you on Tuesday, December 16th, from 8:00 p.m., to a special edition of the program Opera, a World on Radio România Muzical, to follow live from the Vienna State Opera the premiere of the new production of Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven.

I will comment on this performance together with soprano Mariana Colpoș-currently Associate Professor, PhD, at the National University of Music in Bucharest, and former soloist and artistic director of the National Opera Bucharest.

© Werner Kmetitsch