About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

Passionately interested in human rights and the struggle for freedom and dignity, Beethoven expressed these fervent aspirations in music, most overtly in the Ninth Symphony and in Fidelio, his only opera. Fidelio has been described as a magnificent failure, mostly because of the libretto's awkwardness. But though the drama may lurch occasionally, the power of the music sweeps away any criticism. This story -- about a political prisoner named Florestan, and his wife Leonore's brave efforts to free him -- inspired Beethoven to write some of the greatest music in all opera: the Chorus of Prisoners at the end of Act I, Florestan's hymn from his dungeon cell, the dramatic scene in which Leonore intervenes to save Florestan's life, and their moving reunion at the end, when she finally removes his chains. This recording was made in the early 1960s and remains unsurpassed. Christa Ludwig sings a glorious Leonore, full of youthful ardor and tremendous inner strength. Tenor Jon Vickers makes Florestan's suffering at once noble and heart-wrenching. Conductor Otto Klemperer seems to chisel the music out of stone, realizing the opera's symphonic grandeur as no one else, creating a monumental and potent performance. Newly remastered for EMI's Great Recordings of the Century series, this classic sounds better than ever. Andrew Farach-Colton, Barnes & Noble

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