Sydney Symphony Orchestra | Simone Young Conducts Beethoven
November 24, Sydney Opera House
To stage a concert performance of such a dramatic opera as Fidelio is a huge undertaking so imagine the task ahead when the title heroine performer had to withdraw the day before first night for medical reasons. Elza Van Den Heever was replaced by two sopranos – Eleanor Lyons and Madeleine Pierard, but despite this, three arias had to be deleted. The exhilarating Leonore 3 overture took their place.
If anyone could overcome these problems Simone Young could and her effervescence was infectious.
Ten soloists were backed by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Virginia Gay as narrator.
As was emphasised in the excellent pre-concert talk, the development of Fidelio by Beethoven was fraught with problems. Five years or more in the making it was cut from three acts to two and bombed at its first performance in 1806. It underwent further revisions before a revival in 1816 billed as a triumph of the allies over the tyrannical Napoleon. Parallels are found in the three horns that represent the heroine/hero also found in the Scherzo of the Eroica and the final notes which are almost identical to that of the Choral Symphony.
Simone Young conducts Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday, 24 November, 2022, image supplied
The singing parts in this opera are notoriously difficult and were performed, without exception, brilliantly. Both “subs” excelled with Lyons singing only one aria Abschuelicher! Wo eilst du hin? (Where are you going evil one?) but handling it superbly. The more experienced Pierard has an expressive and versatile voice which was well-suited to her arias particularly O namenlose Freude (O nameless joy) in which the heroine is reunited with her husband. The second part of the duet Florestan being sung by Simon O’Neill in a relaxing soft tenor voice which was clearly very popular with the audience. I was particularly impressed by the range of voice of Samoan bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu as the villain Rocco.
Speaking parts and recitative were omitted and instead we had poetry by Tyson Yunkaporta read ably by Virginia Gay with a rather ocker twang. These readings were not related to the opera but were in line with the theme of heroism.
This production gave rise to numerous excellent performances. However Fidelio is a difficult opera – some would say flawed – and in my opinion is not suited to the ‘opera in concert’ medium. The heroic themes need the drama of acting parts and the music is not suited to stand alone expression. It’s not surprising to me that Beethoven had so many trials and tribulations with its conception.
