Beethoven's Fidelio: trying to tackle opera last night

I think I'm studying opera next year. I really don't like opera, generally music full of orchestration that is supportive of a fairly weak libretto with opera singers more concerned with sounding loud and pure than portraying the characters through vocal characterisations. But I'm determined to like it, so I decided to sit down for a couple of hours before Match of the Day and pay attention to Beethoven's only operatic work Fidelio. It's meant to be a great piece about Love and the struggle for Peace. Here's the briefest synopsis I could find quickly:

"Set in a Spanish prison, near Seville, Fidelio , otherwise Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe (Leonora, or The Triumph of Married Love), centres on the loyalty and love of Leonora, who disguises herself as a boy, Fidelio, and takes service under the gaoler Rocco, discovering in the deepest dungeon her husband, Florestan. Don Pizarro, who holds Florestan prisoner for personal reasons, orders his secret murder, which Leonora is able to prevent as the arrival of the minister Don Fernando is announced, an event that will put all to rights again. Additional complications for Leonora include the unwanted affection for her of Marzelline, who is unaware of her true identity, and the consequent rivalry of Jaquino. Rocco, a good man who obeys orders, however unjust, may be seen as a representative figure, while the prisoners in his charge have their moment in the famous prisoners' chorus that allows them to emerge for a moment into the fresher air. " (http://www.naxos.com/education/opera_libretti.asp?pn=&char=ALL&composer=Beethoven&opera=Fidelio&libretto_file=English/00_Synopsis.htm)

Did I get any of that last night? In a word, no. Instead I got a full orchestra onstage, not in a pit, strange recitative moments in the house PA that attempted to keep me abreast with what's just happened, and a group of singers who don't act, or even put on costume to get into character. Just a group of talented singers who are somewhat less talented in portraying emotion through facial expression. I feel quite sorry for the paying audience who weren't treated to the television closeups of the emotions on the faces of the singers.

Okay, so the storyline got the best of me, so how about the music. The introduction was grand, as you'd expect in any Beethoven piece for large ensembles, but there was little in the way of memorable melodies. There was little sense of Stürm und Drang or emotional stirring, just grandeur. I don't really remember any of it, to be honest. The singers were impressive, of course, the ability to project a voice, regardless of microphone aid, is definitely something to admire. But again, it lacked emotion, and it doesn't help when the libretto is repeated over and over again just for the singers to do a bit of vocal gymnastics. My dad who was watching it with me, less clued up than my measly knowledge of opera but with an infinitely stronger grasp of German, was worried about the pronunciation of words. Later during the interval it was all cleared up, they voiced the libretto in a more Wagnerian style. So the audience neither received the proper contemporary way the libretto would have been sung, nor a modern portrayal of german pronunciation.

To briefly summarise, it was all very disappointing, leaving me to continually eye up the remote control to find something else that was at least more gratifying in the short term, like 'How clean is your house?'. I do think the BBC are moving in the right direction in the programming for arts outside of BBC4. Definitely not a fan of 'Classic Goldie' though.

It got me thinking 'where does leave me, how am I meant to like any opera if I can't be enthused by Beethoven?'. I think upon reflection I blame a poor performance rather than the actual music itself, perhaps I'd be more into it if I were in the audience with the opera providing more onstage action, but the BBC simply did not take that into consideration, and that's where the performance fell flat.

Maybe if I tried modern opera I'd fare better. Hopefully addressing subjects in the libretto that mattered more to society today, or something. Also, if Opera singers stopped singing in such a Wagnerian style, that'd be good. In fact, all singers in art music should just sing with their own accents, but that's another topic that I won't go into now.

To watch on BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mcvxs/BBC_Proms_2009_Prom_50_Beethovens_Fidelio