Opera’s switches the action to a modern government detention center. Just think, Black men are still in prison for marijuana offenses, and now marijuana is being sold all over the country.” Beethoven’s original “Fidelio” was based in an 18th-century prison. “Who knows? I’m not sure, but for me, I know this story all too well. It’s like they want something from him, something maybe he can offer. I see it as some Black guy, or some Middle Eastern man, being locked up somewhere by the American military. That’s why he’s hidden, separated from everybody else …. We don’t know a whole lot about him other than that he’s some kind of dissident who is locked up for no good reason. Emotionally, that informs my performance.”įlorestan is a political prisoner, he said, “a guy that spoke out against the system. “I think it’s amazing: the commentary that Beethoven had 200 years ago is still relevant today: how these systems of oppression are still in place,” he said. As a Black artist who has closely followed the Black Lives Matter movement and “the world’s fascination with locking people up,” he says that “Fidelio” offers rare insight into issues at the forefront today. Tenor Russell Thomas, singing the role of the imprisoned Florestan, agrees. ‘Fidelio’ is so modern, and the message is so here and now.” Says tenor Russell Thomas of his role as an incarcerated man: “I think it’s amazing: the commentary that Beethoven had 200 years ago is still relevant today: how these systems of oppression are still in place.”(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)
“But this is definitely an example of the ways that opera can be modern. “People want to think that opera is sort of like looking at old paintings, and their reflection of times past,” said Van den Heever. Since then, she has earned acclaim in range of works in opera houses around the world with its sheer dramatic intensity, Leonore has become one of her signature roles. Opera newbies are often surprised by Beethoven’s opera, says the soprano, who first came to San Francisco Opera in 2003 as a singer in the Merola young artist program. “It was revolutionary then, and it’s revolutionary now,” Van den Heever said in a recent break between rehearsals.
“Fidelio” has always been ahead of its time, says Van den Heever, singing the pivotal role of Leonore - who, disguised as a young man, descends into a hellish prison to rescue her husband, Florestan. 14 at the War Memorial Opera House, where it will play through Oct. Opera music director Eun Sun Kim, this “Fidelio” - the company’s first since the 2005-06 season - promises a rare revival, one that looks at the opera through a contemporary lens. Directed by Matthew Ozawa and conducted by S.F.
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