FIDELIO

In the organizer's words:

Composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner with revisions by Georg Friedrich Treitschke after Jean-Nicolas Bouilly's libretto Léonore, ou L'Amour conjugal.

Opera in two acts (1814)

Co-production with the English National Opera

recommended from 16 years

In German language. With surtitles in German and English.

Duration approx. 2 hours 50 minutes

ABOUT THE WORK

Florestan has disappeared. Leonore, his wife, is looking for him. She wants to rescue him. Pizarro, his enemy, has pursued him. He wants to kill him.

Act 1

Leonore suspects that her husband Florestan is in Pizarro's sphere of influence. She assumes another identity and, under the name Fidelio, gets herself a job with Rocco, who works as a guard in Pizarro's prison.

Marzelline, Rocco's daughter, has fallen in love with Fidelio. Her admirer Jaquino, also an employee of Rocco's, has since become an annoying appendage that she has to get rid of. Rocco is convinced that happiness requires not only love, but also money. He sides with his daughter and supports her new love project. Marzelline already sees the fulfillment of her dreams before her: to spend her life happily in love at Fidelio's side. Thanks to the trust gained by father and daughter, Leonore also hopes to come closer to her goal of finding Florestan. For Jaquino, on the other hand, a world collapses.
Pizarro's superior Fernando wants to inspect the prison because he has heard that people are being held there unlawfully. Pizarro prepares his plan for revenge: Florestan must be eliminated before Fernando arrives. Rocco is to do this - for a good price, of course. Although Rocco refuses to kill, he does his duty when Pizarro orders him to assist in the murder.

Leonore, who has overheard the conversation between Pizarro and Rocco, is now determined to do anything. She allows the prisoners into her court, but she cannot find her husband among the desperate, world-weary figures. She therefore persuades Rocco to take her to the underground prisons, where she suspects Florestan to be.

Pizarro angrily orders the prisoners to be locked up again. Rocco stands protectively in front of Marzelline and Leonore. In view of the plot to eliminate Florestan, Pizarro refrains from punishing Rocco for his disobedient actions.

Act 2

Florestan laments his fate. As if hallucinating, the image of Leonore appears in his memory as a rescuing angel.

Rocco and Fidelio descend to the prisoner and begin preparations for the murder. Horrified and hopeful at the same time, Leonore recognizes her husband in him. Pizarro appears to kill Florestan. Fidelio is able to prevent the murder at the last moment thanks to her courageous intervention and reveals herself to be Florestan's wife when a trumpet signal announces Fernando's arrival.

Justice is done and cheered: Fernando frees his friend Florestan, who was believed dead, and all the other prisoners. Pizarro is punished.

CAST

Musical direction Yoel Gamzou

Staging Calixto Bieito

Stage Rebecca Ringst

Costumes Ingo Krügler

Lighting Reinhard Traub

Choreographic collaboration Heidi Aemisegger

Dramaturgy Andrea Schönhofer

Chorus Christoph Heil

Don Fernando Alexander Grassauer(2026: Mar 08, 13, 15) Ryan Speedo Green(2026: Jul 12, 15, 18)

Don Pizarro Josef Wagner (2026: Mar 08, 13, 15) Tomasz Konieczny (2026: Jul 12, 15, 18)

Florestan Benjamin Bruns(2026: Mar 08, 13, 15) Matthew Polenzani (2026: Jul 12, 15, 18)

Leonore Johanni van Oostrum (2026: Mar 08, 13, 15) Camilla Nylund (2026: Jul 12, 15, 18)

Rocco René Pape

Marzelline Mirjam Mesak

Jaquino Caspar Singh(2026: Mar 08, 13, 15) Samuel Stopford(2026: Jul 12, 15, 18)

1st prisoner Dafydd Jones(2026: Mar 08, 13, 15) Tansel Akzeybek (2026: Jul 12, 15, 18)

2nd prisoner Paweł Horodyski

Bavarian State Orchestra

Bavarian State Opera Chorus

Price information:

Price varies depending on seat category: 08.03 - 15.03 prices K, € 132 /115 /95 /74 /52 /30 /14 /10 12.07 - 18.07: prices L , € 163 / 142 / 117 / 91 / 64 / 39 / 15 / 11