Stream: Opera North - Fidelio

Opera North presented a concert performance of Fidelio in Leeds Town Hall as their Christmas production.  With a cast dressed in monochrome work clothes, and filmed mostly in half-light, it might seem a bleak proposition. But the singing, acting and playing blaze with conviction, enhanced by the clear direction and subtle filming.

Using a reduced orchestration by Francis Griffin, Mark Wigglesworth, in his Opera North debut, sets an overall brisk pace in the overture. The string section, though socially distanced, seems quite large, but there are only seven winds (the full orchestration has 18, according to Wikipedia) However, musically it’s a warm sound, the two horns (rather than the usual 4) sounding out clearly in the opening bars and near the end.  Wigglesworth looks as if he’s enjoying himself too.

As the overture concludes, we see Leonora, in close-up, look at her wedding ring as she takes it off, then sit with feet apart in a masculine pose as she rests her head in her hands. A clever way of showing her assume a male persona. The direction works through simple gestures like these. Before anyone sings, Don Fernando, in lawyer’s clothes is seen at an offstage table, reading from Rocco’s ‘log-book’, the first of several such brief readings which replace the dialogue. Fernando, the deus-ex-machina at the end of the opera has his role expanded to omniscient narrator.

Somehow without the dialogue, the confusion in the characters’ minds appears even clearer. Jaquino and Marzelline’s duet, then the quartet, in which Fidelio and Rocco sing for the first time, and the trio which follows, all feature characters stating their hopes and fears – which cannot all come true. When Jaquino sings of love and marriage, he imagines Marzelline, while she aspires to marry Fidelio, a match of which Rocco approves. Only Fidelio understands all the ironies, as she loves only her imprisoned husband.

The all-British cast give a stand-out performance. Fflur Wyn and Oliver Johnston make the most of their prominence in the early part of the opera, interacting well with each other and projecting their voices to the auditorium. Opera North has developed some outstanding stagecraft in concert, or semi-staged performance in recent years – their wonderful Ring is still available free online – and this streamed performance shows the benefit of that experience. The performances and the filming techniques felt a long way ahead of the recent ROH streaming of ‘Ariodante’ from Covent Garden, where some of the singers seemed ill-at- ease working in front of an orchestra in an empty auditorium.

Brindley Sherratt is a sympathetic Rocco, much less venal than some, and in his solo, he sounds like an honest man promoting common-sense financial advice. Rebecca Nicholls and Toby Spence are strikingly good in the main roles. Nicholls paces herself beautifully in her big Act I aria. An advantage of the smaller orchestra is that she doesn’t need to force her voice. She has the volume when required– she’s already singing Brünnhilde - but the overall tone is of calm certainty and confidence. At the end, she takes her wedding ring out of her pocket and looks at it.

Toby Spence, once a regular visitor at the Festival – his eerily high-pitched Madwoman in ‘Curlew River’, and a fresh-faced David in McMaster’s farewell production of ‘Meistersinger’ were highlights – has never sung better than here. Florestan isn’t a long role but is demanding. Many tenors falter on the opening sustained high note. Spence starts his quietly building it in power. He’s spotlit, seated on a dais in front of the stage, emphasising his isolation. His delivery of the aria reminds me of the best lieder singers, telling a story by concentrating on the words and sparing in the use of gestures. Simplicity, much harder to get right than to talk about – is the keynote of this performance.

The contribution of the chorus is highlighted by effective lighting. Both in Act I and Act II finales, the lights go up on the organ gallery – and on the Town Hall’s magnificent organ - as the prisoners come out in the sunshine. The blue benches and pink marble columns are the brightest colours we see. There are just 16 in the male chorus and fewer women, but they sing with passion, although the smaller numbers also mean that their Act I injunction to each other “talk quietly – they’re listening” is realistically hushed.

This production has already proved so popular that Opera North have extended its availability from one week to three, and it’s online at a cost of £15 until 4th January.

An excellent programme is provided online.