Composer's name is listed where notable (i.e. Classical Performance, Jazz Performance).
For more information on any of the rock, pop and Jazz music featured on this program, I frequently utilize AllMusic , an excellent free database holding a huge plethora of information about music and the artists that make it.
| Composer | Performer | Title | Genre | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) |
Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia, Michael Halász, cond., -w- Inga Nielsen (in the lead role of Leonore), Gösta Winbergh (as Florestan), Alan Titus (Pizarro, the prison warden), Kurt Moll (Rocco, the jailer), Wolfgang Glashof, Edith Lienbacher, Herwig Pecoraro, Peter Pálinkás, Józef Moldvay |
Fidelio, Op. 72 |
Classical, Romantic era, Opera |
Naxos, 1998 |
One of the key works from Beethoven's "middle period", where many of his works deal with "heroic" subjects (i.e. the 3rd Symphony/Eroica, initially dedicated to Napolean), the opera is the story of Leonore, who disguises herself as a boy ("Fidelio") and accepts work in a jail in order to save her husband, Florestan, from death at the hands of the unjust prison warden. The opera was first performed (with 3 acts) on 11/20/1805, but later saw several signficant revisions, including the writing of several separate overtures (one of which, known as Leonore No. 3, is frequently played independently of the opera) and the reduction to 2 acts, before the final version was completed in 1814 (the version we hear here). While this was Beethoven's only opera, it stands as an important part of his catalog. It is said that Franz Schubert attended the 1814 premiere (conducted by the increasingly deaf Beethoven himself), selling his schoolbooks so that he could obtain a ticket. |
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Last Update: December 17, 2007
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