National Opera Company Beethoven Opera 'Fidelio' Online Live Broadcast

Live Broadcast on Naver TV on October 23... Sopranos Seo Seon-Young and Go Hyun-A as Leonore

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The National Opera Company will commemorate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth in 2020 by live streaming the concert opera 'Fidelio' without an audience on Naver TV on October 23.

'Fidelio' is the only opera left by Beethoven. It was composed based on the play 'Leonore, or The Conjugal Love' by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, which tells the true story of a noblewoman who disguises herself as a man and becomes an assistant to a prison guard to rescue her husband imprisoned in jail.

The noblewoman who approaches the prison in disguise is named Leonore, and the alias she uses while disguised as a man is Fidelio. Fidelio is also a name meaning fidelity, loyalty, and chastity.

'Fidelio' is a masterpiece that Beethoven composed over eight years and released after two revisions.

The conductor for this production is Maestro Sebastian Lang-Lessing, who conducted the National Opera Company's 'Manon' in 2018 and last year’s domestic premieres of 'William Tell' and 'The Tales of Hoffmann.' Additionally, world-renowned drawing artist Kevork Mourad will join to express the story of the performance through illustrations. The National Opera Company announced that it will attempt a new challenge by integrating painting and animation techniques into the performance to harmonize visual art and music.

Tenors Kook Yoon-jong and Han Yoon-seok will play the role of Florestan, a Spanish nobleman unjustly imprisoned in an underground dungeon awaiting death after a trivial dispute caused by political conflict. Sopranos Seo Sun-young and Go Hyun-ah will passionately perform the role of Leonore, who disguises herself as the prison guard Fidelio and rushes into the prison to rescue her imprisoned husband Florestan.

The role of Rocco, the kind-hearted chief jailer who mistakes Fidelio for a man and wants to marry him to his daughter, will be performed by bass Jeon Seung-hyun. Soprano Kim Sharon will play Marzelline, Rocco’s daughter who falls in love with Fidelio. Tenor Min Hyun-ki will portray Jacquino, a prison guard assistant who has a crush on Marzelline. Baritone Oh Dong-gyu will take on the role of Don Pizarro, the prison governor who tries to kill Florestan out of personal grudge to hide his crimes. Baritone Lee Hyuk will play Don Fernando, the king’s special envoy visiting the prison, completing Beethoven’s masterpiece.

In the live broadcast on the 23rd via Naver TV, tenor Kook Yoon-jong and soprano Seo Sun-young will perform as Florestan and Leonore, respectively. On the 24th, tenor Han Yoon-seok and soprano Go Hyun-ah will take on the roles of Florestan and Leonore, and KBS will record the performance for later broadcast.