Who is popular today?

Filmed in Leeds Town Hall, streamed on demandRising above the challenging circumstances, Opera North’s semi-staged Fidelio is gripping and authoritative, with an outstanding cast of soloists
Opera North’s Fidelio went ahead in the teeth of the region’s tight pandemic restrictions. The concert performance, recorded in an empty Leeds Town Hall and available to stream, proved much more than merely a victory over challenging circumstances. The musical lineup had always looked pretty special on anyone’s terms, and the musicians duly delivered a gripping operatic experience in which every aspect of the show seemed to come together.
What made the impact so strong? There was, of course, the excitement of a British company performing a major opera again after so long. There was the appropriateness of this particular opera, performed just days before Beethoven’s 250th anniversary. Then there was the electrifying reminder, in Mark Wigglesworth’s reading, of how brilliant a piece Fidelio is, and of how radical Beethoven’s imprisonment subject still is today. Last, but by no means least, there was the tingle factor of a live performance that contained so much committed and first-rate playing and singing. Continue reading...