On Saturday 8 May the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) will present Beethoven’s only opera
Fidelio under the baton of Music Director Giordano Bellincampi and featuring an all-star kiwi cast, led by international opera sensations Kirstin Sharpin and Simon O’Neill.
Audiences can look forward to being swept away by Beethoven’s lyrical genius paired against a story of political and ethical resolve. A so-called “rescue opera” inspired by a true story of the French Revolution,
Fidelio tells the story of Leonore whose husband, Florestan has been secretly imprisoned by his political rival – the corrupt and dastardly Don Pizarro. Leonore disguises herself as a young man called Fidelio and, determined to rescue Florestan, secures a job in the prison where he is incarcerated, and gains the trust of gaoler Rocco.