HOUGH FAMILY FOUNDATION MASTERWORKS
Beethoven’s Fidelio in Concert
Michael Francis Conducts Beethoven’s Only Opera

Conductors
Michael Francis

Guest Artists
Stuart Skelton, Florestan, Christina Major, Leonore, David Soar, Rocco, Diana Newman, Marzelline, David Portillo, Jaquino, Aleksey Bogdanov, Don Pizarro, Alex Boyd, Don Fernando, Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, Heather Mitchell, artistic director

Pre-Concert Conversations: Get the real story behind the composers and their music, straight from the conductor and guest soloists. Starts one hour before each Masterworks concert in the theater. Included free with each concert ticket. Sponsored by The Ruth & J O Stone Foundation.

Beethoven: Fidelio (concert version)

No sets. No costumes. Just music. And it’s more than enough. Michael Francis leads Beethoven’s Fidelio in concert, stripping the opera down to its core. What’s left is raw, direct and incredibly powerful. This is Beethoven at his most human, telling a story about love, courage and the fight for freedom. Featuring The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, the principal chorus of The Florida Orchestra, and a cast of soloists.

Story Overview: In a nutshell: A woman goes undercover to save her husband. Leonore disguises herself as a young man named “Fidelio” to get a job at a prison, where her husband Florestan is being secretly held and left to die by a corrupt official. She gains the trust of the jailer, gets close to the inner workings of the prison, and ultimately confronts the villain just as he’s about to kill Florestan. At the last possible moment, the truth comes out. Florestan is saved, justice prevails and Leonore’s courage exposes the abuse of power. It’s part rescue story, part political statement, about love, bravery and standing up to injustice.

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