The 906th Orchard Hall Subscription Concert

Sun. 6 May 2018, 15:00 at

Orchard Hall

The 907th Suntory Subscription Concert

Tue. 8 May 2018, 19:00 at Suntory Hall
The 117th Tokyo Opera City Subscription Concert

Thu.10 May 2018, 19:00 at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall
Myung-Whun Chung, conductor
Peter Seiffert, Florestan (tenor)
Manuela Uhl, Leonore (soprano)
Teruhiko Komori, Don Fernando (baritone)
Luca Pisaroni, Don Pizarro (bass)
Franz-Josef Selig, Rocco (bass)
Sylvia Schwartz, Marzelline (soprano)
Takashi Otsuki, Jaquino (tenor)

Takashi Baba, prisoner 1 (tenor)*Satoshi Takada, prisoner 2 (bass)*
Tokyo Opera Singers, chorus(*)(chorusmaster: Yuko Tanaka)
Eisuke Sasai, speaker
Masayasu Komiya, speech outline
Kaoru Kondo, concertmaster
Masayasu Komiya, supertitles
Ayaka Fujiwara (Zimaku+), subtitles operator

Beethoven:

Opera "Fidelio" (concert-style opera with Japanese supertitles)（ca. 130 min）

Act I（ca. 72 min）•“Jetzt, Schätzchen, jetzt sind wir allein,”•“O wär ich schon mit dir vereint”•“Mir ist so wunderbar,”•“Gut, Söhnchen, gut, hab immer Mut,”• Marsch•“Ha, welch ein Augenblick!”•“Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?”•“O welche Lust”•“Nun sprecht, wie ging's?”–“Ach, Vater, Vater,eilt!”–“Verwegner Alter!”ー intermission（ca. 15min）ー
Act II（ca. 57 min）•“Gott! Welch Dunkel hier!”•“O namenlose Freude!”• “Wie kalt ist es in diesem unterirdischen Gewölbe!” • Verwandlung•“Nur hurtig fort, nur frisch gegraben,”•“Heil sei dem Tag,”–“Wohlan, so helfet!”–“O Gott!”•“Euch werde Lohn in bessern Welten,”•“Er sterbe!”•“Wer ein solches Weib errungen,”Presented by Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
Co-presented by Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation (5/10)
Subsidized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs Government of Japan , /The Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Foundation for the Arts(5/8)(5/6)
In Association with20

Program
Program

The story of "Fidelio"
In a prison in a small town in Spain, a diligent and hard working
young man is employed. His name is Fidelio. He is beloved by all
and viewed as a future son-in-law by the jailor's family. However,Fidelio has a great secret. He is actually a woman disguised as aman. She is on a mission to rescue her imprisoned husband. Her
name is Leonore.

To save her dear husband,she bravely fights for him and faces great danger.

MayWith all-conquering faith in one another, the husband and wifeMay

triumph over vengeful evil in the end and banish oppression fromthe town, expressed in a chorus of joy at the end of the story.

68May

10

"Fidelio" is Beethoven's message of love and courage to everyone.

Act3 of Fidelio by Beethoven at the Théâtre Lyrique 1860

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Program Notes6May8Mayby April L. Racana

10May

Program Notes

Program Notes

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827):

Opera "Fidelio" (concert-style opera with Japanese supertitles)
Having completed only one opera, Beethoven would spend nearly aMay

decade of his life from 1804-1814 writing and revising Fidelio. Originally

6titled Leonore, and based on the French drama of the same name by JeanMay

Nicolas Bouilly, the story presents Florestan who has been wrongly andsecretly imprisoned by a political rival Don Pizarro.

Florestan’s wife,Leonore, finds out where he has been taken and disguises herself as a young

8May

10man, Fidelio, taking a job at the prison as an assistant to the jailer. DonPizarro discovers that the Minister of Justice and his inspection team are
due to arrive, and for fear of being found out, he decides it is necessary tokill Florestan to cover his tracks. But ‘Fidelio’ (aka Leonore) steps in andprevents her husband from being killed before the Minister and his teamarrives, freeing Florestan and all the political prisoners.
The first version of the opera was completed in 1805 and premiered at theTheater an der Wien in Vienna on November 20th that same year. Beethoven
revised the score the following year for a revival performance on March29th, 1806, where he re-wrote the overture, presenting the version referred
to as the Leonore Overture No. 3 for the first time. Beethoven would go on
to compose at least two more revisions of the Overture, finally settling on
his fourth and final overture to Fidelio. The final (and third) revision of theentire opera was premiered on May 23rd, 1814.

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The Leonore Overture No. 3 is the version being performed for this concert
series, and would become a work in its own right, often referred to as asymphonic poem, since the full range of the story is presented in dramaticmusical terms. The overture opens with the dark descent into the prison
dungeon, where reference is made to Florestan’s aria, recalling happier times
and hoping to be freed. This hope builds to more excitement and energy
as the plot line unfolds, only to be suddenly interrupted by the sound of
a trumpet off-stage, signaling the distant procession of the Minister andhis team. The trumpet sounds again as the team nears the prison, this time
signaling the ultimate downfall of Pizarro and the reuniting of Leonore andFlorestan. Beethoven then presents a full recapitulation of the heroic themes
to celebrate Leonore as the heroine, the freedom of Florestan, and theirtriumph over evil as the overture comes to a victorious and majestic close.
Act I then opens with Jaquino (the turnkey) and Marzelline (the jailor’sdaughter) singing a duet, he expressing his desire to marry her, and she
declining since she has since fallen in love with Fidelio, not knowing ‘his’
true identity. Marzelline is then left alone and sings of her hopes forhappiness with Fidelio [O wär' ich schön mit dir vereint — ‘Oh, if I werealready one with you’]. Rocco (the jailer) enters looking for Fidelio at thesame time ‘he’ returns from a trip to the blacksmith. The four characters soon
break into song in one of the highlights of the opera, a quartet in canon [Mirist so wunderbar — It is so wonderful to me]. Each of them singingof their own perspective of ‘wonder’: Marzelline dreaming of her hopes forhappiness, Jaquino expressing his jealousy, Rocco singing of the happiness ofthe young couple, and Leonore ‘wondering’ about what lies ahead.
Rocco then presents what is often referred to as the ‘gold’ aria where heintones the difficulties of being poor and sings the praises of gold [Hat mannicht auch Gold — ‘If one doesn’t also have money’]. Fidelio immediately
counters by stating that love is much better than gold, as she requests to help
Rocco with his work with the prisoners in order to be able to try to locate her28

Program Notes

Fidelio not to go, the three of them sing as a Trio expressing their various
contrasting emotions. The sounds of a march announce the entrance ofProgram Notes

husband. As the two prepare to descend to the dungeon, and Marzelline begs

Pizarro who is told of the impending arrival of Don Fernando, (the Ministerof Justice) to investigate the stories of abuse at the prison. Pizarro thendecides that Florestan must die since Don Fernando thinks he’s already dead.
Singing his aria over string tremolos, Pizarro reveals his most evil side [Ha!
Welch ein Augenblick! — 'Ha! What a moment!’].
Pizarro orders that trumpets be sounded to warn him of Fernando’s
arrival and then offers money to Rocco to kill Florestan. The two sing aduet, with Rocco refusing and Pizarro determining to commit the murder

Mayhimself, both set in their ways, but Rocco ordered instead to dig a grave in6preparation. Leonore has overheard this entire exchange and sings both aMay

Recitative and Aria [Abscheulicher! — ‘Abominable one!’] expressing her
disdain for Pizarro as well as her determination to save the prisoner, themusic aptly reflecting her various moods throughout.

8May10In the Finale of Act I, Leonore and Marzelline urge Rocco to allow theprisoners to come up to the courtyard for some fresh air and sunlight, which
he agrees to for all of the prisoners except the one lone prisoner. Anotherhighlight of this act is often referred to as the Prisoner’s Chorus where themen express their joy at having a brief moment of freedom while also singingof caution at being discovered. Leonore searches the faces of each of theseprisoners hoping to find her husband while the prisoners sing [O welche Lust —‘Oh, what joy’]. Marzelline and Jaquino announce the return of Pizarro whois furious when he discovers the prisoners have been let out of their cells andorders them back. They sing farewell to the sunlight [Leb’ wohl — ‘Farewell’]as Rocco and Leonore prepare to descend further into the dungeon.
At the opening of Act II we finally meet Florestan and hear him
sing of his despair in the aria [Gott! Welch Dunkel hier! — ‘God, What29

darkness here!’], but then closes with a vision of hope, his wife appearing
as an angel leading him to Heaven. Leonore and Rocco arrive preparing todig the grave. In a Trio the three sing of their compassion for each other,
Rocco having offered Florestan a drink, Leonore offering him some bread,and Florestan expressing his gratitude. Pizarro arrives ordering Fidelio toleave, but ‘she’ hides instead, eventually intervening when Pizarro attempts
to stab Florestan, revealing her identity [Töt erst sein Weib! — ‘Kill his wifefirst!’]. The trumpet then sounds, announcing the arrival of Don Fernando.
Leonore and Florestan have been saved and reunited, singing [O namenlose
Freude! — ‘Oh nameless joy!’].
In the finale of Act II everyone is gathered in the castle courtyard, withDon Fernando freeing all the prisoners and recognizing his old friend Florestan
whom he thought was dead. Rocco tells how Leonore came to Floresetan’srescue, after which she then removes her husband’s chains. Pizarro is led
away as all join in the closing chorus in celebration of the heroine, as well asin tribute to love and justice [Wer ein solches Weib errungen — ‘He who has
won such a wife’], which aptly includes a reference to Schiller’s Ode to Joy.
Original work: Jean Nicolas Bouilly“Léonore, ou l'Amour conjugal”
Libretto: Joseph Sonnleithner, Georg Friedrich Treitschke
Work composed:“Leonore”(1 st revision) 1804-1805 /“Leonore”（ 2 ndrevision）
1806 /“Fidelio”1814
World premiere:“Leonore”(1st revision) 20, Nov. 1805, at Theater an derWien /“Leonore”（2nd revision）29, Mar. 1806, at Theater an der Wien /“Fidelio”23, May. 1814, at Theater am Kärntnertor
Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons,contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones (3 trombones in“Leonore”overture No. 3), timpani, strings / banda: trumpet

April L. Racana / Music Specialist at Nishimachi International School where
she has taught since 1992. She completed her undergraduate studies at
the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (BS/Piano Pedagogy) and hergraduate studies at San Francisco State University (MA/Music), as well as
a post-graduate fellowship at Northwestern University, and the Japan
Studies Program at International Christian University.

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