FIDELIO, Royal Opera House, May 27 2007.

Cast (in order of appearance)

JAQUINO:             Robert Murray
MARZELLINE:       Ailish Tynan
LEONORE:           Karita Mattila
ROCCO:               Eric Halfvarson
DON PIZARRO:     Terje Stensvold
FIRST PRISONER: Haoyin Xue
2ND PRISONER:    Krzystof Szumanski
FLORESTAN:        Endrik Wottrich
DON FERNANDO:  Robert Lloyd

Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus

Conductor:             Antonio Pappano

Fideliopappano1

The images are of Karita Mattilla as the heroine, Leonore, and the conductor Antonio Pappano.

Pappano is my favourite conductor...but on this occasion I was greatly disappointed by the overture, and the uncoordinated playing of the brass - and especially in FIDELIO, of all operas, where the trumpet calls and horn calls are so important.

Fortunately, it didn't set the standard for the whole of the performance, but usually I am full of praise for Pappano and the sounds he conjures from the orchestra...well, it got off to a bad start, but he redeemed himself as the performance progressed.

(I did read elsewhere that perhaps the brass had - shall we say - partaken too freely of a liquid lunch - I have no opinion on this!!)

The Marzelline, Ailish Tynan, has a lovely, clear, soaring voice - will she perhaps one day be a Leonore herself?  She clearly has the potential. She was matched well with Robert Murray, the Jaquino. Rocco was sung by Eric Halfvarson, who usually performs very convincing villains, but did convey the characterisation of Rocco as a fairly ordinary man who has a living to earn, but tries his best to behave in a humane manner to the prisoners he has to guard.

Terje Stensvold did his best with the thankless role of Don Pizarro - a rather 'Victorian melodrama' type villain, I've always thought. He portrayed him as a Mafia Don, and his "Ha! welch' ein Augenblick'  was suitable menacing.

This is all building up to the appearance of the heroine. Karita Mattila is the best Leonore I have seen - not only the intense, passionate singing, but the conviction, the dedication to the role. 'Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?' was delivered with force and passion, and the aria runs the gamut of emotions, from close to despair to the determination to continue to hope (Ich folg' dem innern Triebe, ich wanke nicht!) . It is then Leonore herself who releases the prisoners, without reference to Rocco (the spoken dialogue has been reduced to a minimum in this production). There's a moment of absolute silence before the Prisoners' Chorus begins - intensely moving.

After the interval, the quality of playing had noticeably improved,and Pappano was restored to the pantheon of favourite conductors! The Florestan,  Endrik Wottrich, wasn't perhaps quiite able to efface memories of Vickers (or indeed Heppner), but acquitted himself well, one felt that this was a Florestan who really had acted from conviction. I loved the moment at which Leonore decided that whoever the prisoner is - even if he isn't her husband - she will save him. There was absolutely no problem with the trumpet call announcing the arrival of DOn Fernando! The "O namenlose Freude" duet was incredibly moving, one of the best performances I can remember.

Don Fernando was sung by my beloved veteran Robert Lloyd, still in beautiful voice.

The staging is updated to the 1940s or 1950s..a nameless European state, although there are references to the Holocaust
 (piles of suitcases and shoes in Florestan's dungeon). I found this completely convincing, very well-staged and well-performed.
I loved the chorus of rejoicing at the end, where Leonore is carried round on the shoulders of some of the soldiers and everyone cheers her.