Beethoven's Biggest Flop

Beethoven's first attempt at opera, Leonore, premiered in Vienna on 20th November, 1805. Attendance was sparse, due in part to Napoleon's recent invasion: the audience largely composed of French officers. And, unlike almost all his other work, the piece still has a reputation as ‘A Director’s Graveyard’. Why? Possibly because the setting - a jail - is drab and uninspiring. Perhaps because the archetypal characters are mostly singing about their inner life. Or… maybe because it’s all sung in German, and Beethoven didn’t know how to write for singers? In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover how the great composer made an initial impact on Austria thanks to his virtuoso piano skills, not his compositions; reveal the multiple occasions on which he attempted to re-work his flop (finally debuting a revised Fidelio in 1814 to great acclaim); and explain why Leonore was the Spider-Man of its day… Further Reading: • ’Fidelio: Story, Synopsis & More’ (English National Opera):: https://www.eno.org/operas/fidelio/ • ‘Beethoven: Fidelio, By Peter Gutmann’ (Classical Notes, 2014): http://www.classicalnotes.net/opera/fidelio.html • ‘Stage@Seven: Beethoven: Fidelio (Ouverture) - Andrés Orozco-Estrada’ (Frankfurt Radio Symphony, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ8xsi42ubA Love the show? Support us!  Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY…  … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.  Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices