Fidelio, Freedom, and the sense of it

Its great to be living free. Trust me, when you are in unjust situations (like a lot of the propsmen/propswomen in the world), you'd want to believe in redemption, judgement, and maybe God. Because in the end, justice should prevail. This is what Beethoven's only opera Fidelio is all about.

Finally took some time to have a complete session of Fidelio (which has been stacked among my other classical collection for a long time), and it feels good. Maybe because I haven't got many 2 hours these days to sit duck with orchestras and singers blaring off my Hi-fi. Maybe too, that Fidelio reminds me of what it feels being oppressed and how joyful it is to breathe fresh air freely again (me being a "cell occupant" before).

Fidelio tells about this wife Leonora, who disguised herself as a man named Fidelio to work with this prison guard Rocco. Her real intention was to find out the whereabouts of his husband Florestan, whom the officials claimed dead. In reality, Florestan is jailed by this evil governor Pizzaro because he knew of the crimes Pizzaro committed. Pizzaro who learns that the minister is coming for a check, and this minister is a friend of Florestan, plots to assasinate Florestan. A side plot also tells of how Rocco's daughter Marzelline fall for Fidelio amidst being admired by the other prison guard Jaquino. Pizzaro's plan failed when Fidelio was able to delay him enough till the minister's arrival. At the end justice triumphs and the two lovers are united while Pizzaro meets his end.

O welche Lust! in Freir Luft, den Athem leicht zu heben

"Oh, what a joy! To be released from gloom, to breath the air reviving," sang the prisoners in a short break at the lawn. In other words, these people had been inside the cells for so long that any chance to see daylight is a bliss. Those who never had the same hell would not understand the plight of others.

Heil! Heil! sei dem Tag

"Hail! Hail! Hail to the day," In this sense, its liberation day, and everyone gives thanks to the One. This is a very typical Beethoven ending appropriate to his hopes and aspirations during his time. To a very large extent, the moral behind Fidelio still applies to today's world, where unjust exist on worldwide, regional, and personal scale.

One last thing I admire about Fidelio is that is puts every bit of emotion and depth in just 2 acts. A typical blockbuster flop (or all movies/shows in general) would require at least 3. There's also no need for multiple locations; it all happens in a prison. Plus, the time frame is condensed. No '10 years later' shit. That means if I made a movie like this, I won't need to hire confused ADs and frustrated location managers. And since there's less people getting paid, I could move the extra fund elsewhere, like an RV for the cast and crew, or a huge perspex dome so production could continue in any weather. Of course, the latter is not possible.

no-fark!