Beethoven - Fidelio
Stemme; Kaufmann; Arnold Schoenberg Choir; Mahler Chamber Orchestra; Lucerne Festival Orchestra / Abbado
Decca 478 2551 (2CD)

Release date June 2011

I am experiencing something of a Beethoven epiphany this summer. Last month I waxed lyrical about Paul Lewis’s magical Diabelli Variations; this month, along comes a revelatory new recording of Fidelio, recorded during last year’s Lucerne Festival. Its cast is very strong, Nina Stemme possessing the range, composure and gravity of tone that are required for a convincing portrayal of Leonora, Jonas Kaufmann a magnificent Florestan,his opening cry of ‘Gott’ an awesome crescendo of anguish. The orchestra plays wonderfully, as they did for Abbado in his Lucerne Mahler cycle. But what makes this recording really special is the dramatic impetus Abbado brings to the work. It is immediately apparent in the urgency and vitality of the first chords of the overture (Beethoven’s fourth attempt, written overnight two days before the performance of the revised Fidelio in 1814). The opening scene brings out the innocence, sincerity and humour of the interplay between Marcellina and her suitor Jaquino without jarring with the loftier sentiments of following scenes, in particular the Act I quartet – a heavenly moment, where time seems to be suspended. Fluid interplay between the characters, vivid mood changes (e.g. from the expressive Act I trio into the March) and some extraordinarily imaginative choral singing add to the sense of drama, and even the few spoken sections sound far less stilted than normal. Even better, Abbado teases something special from his singers in the ensembles. There is no ‘stand and deliver’ approach here, with soloists belting out their own part for all they are worth; instead, voices interact in a way that is a joy to listen to. Only in the opera’s finale is the singers’ full power unleashed, to thrilling effect. This is music-making as it should be: intelligent, sensitive, alert to the nuances of the score and probing the work’s depths. Interestingly, the soloists are not markedly different in calibre from those featured in Klemperer’s 1962 EMI recording. However, Abbado’s handling of the dramatic tension (thirteen minutes faster than Klemperer but never sounding rushed) surely makes this set the new benchmark.

Reviewed by Anne McAlister