|
|
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 -
1827)
Overture Leonora No.3, Op. 72b
Beethoven always wanted to call his only opera Leonora;
the world always insisted on calling it Fidelio. "Of
all my children this is the one that caused me the worst
birth-pangs," he said to his biographer much later,
"the one that brought me the most sorrow; and for that
reason, it is the one most dear to me." It certainly
cost him a lot of work; he revised it twice, and wrote
four separate versions of the overture. The first, Leonora
No.], was too lightweight, and was immediately discarded.
The second, Leonora No. 2, was used at the premiere
in 1805. For the first revision of the opera in 1806
he wrote Leonora No. 3, which we are playing tonight
- but this has an impact so massive it tends to dwarf
the opera itself. For the second revision of the opera
in 1814 he wrote a fourth overture, known as the Fidelio
Overture, which generally precedes the opera today.
The plot of the opera involves the defiance of tyranny,
and the devotion and triumph of love. Like the Eroica
Symphony, it is Beethoven's celebration of the spirit
of the French Revolution - an event very recent and
still highly controversial.
The overture is substantial, and its music is dramatic.
A slow introduction (descending the steps of the dungeon?)
leads into a fast main section, which develops several
themes from the opera to a grand climax. The trumpet
call, which comes twice, is that which in the opera
announces the hero's release from prison. The closing
presto coda, ushered in by a whirlwind of violins, celebrates
more than the victory of the opera's hero and heroine
- it is a celebration of human joy in liberty, and a
political statement of lasting meaning! |
