Last performed in 1998
Synopsis | Smart Guide
| Program
Synopsis
Prior to the action of the opera, Don Pizarro, the governor of the prison, has unjustly arrested and imprisoned Florestan for political reasons. Leonore, Florestan's wife, has disguised herself as a young man in order to determine his whereabouts. Using the name Fidelio, she has secured a position as assistant to Rocco, the jailer.
Act I, Scene I – The Living Quarters of Rocco
Jaquino, turnkey of the prison, attempts to woo Marzelline, Rocco's daughter. However, she has become infatuated with Fidelio, her father's new helper. Rocco enters looking for Fidelio, who soon arrives with provisions and important dispatches. Rocco, impressed with his new helper, complicates matters by announcing that Marzelline will be married to Fidelio. When Rocco mentions a special prisoner lying in the lower dungeons, Leonore, hoping it might be her husband, begs Rocco to take her with him on his rounds. He agrees to seek permission from Pizarro, the governor of the prison.
Act I, Scene II – The Courtyard of the Prison
Pizarro's soldiers assemble in the courtyard. Rocco's dispatches tell Pizarro that Don Fernando, the minister of state, has learned that men have been unjustly imprisoned and that he is on his way to make a surprise inspection of the prison. At the news, Pizarro resolves to have his enemy Florestan killed and tells his captain to sound a warning alarm when Don Fernando arrives. Pizarro orders Rocco to murder Florestan, and when the jailer refuses, Pizarro tells him to open up the old cistern down in the dungeon. Alone after overhearing these plans, Leonore curses the tyrant and resolves to save her husband. When Rocco returns, she urges him to allow the prisoners a few moments of fresh air and sunlight. Pizarro returns and furiously sends them back to their dungeons, reminding Rocco to prepare Florestan's grave.
Act II, Scene I – The Dungeon
Chained in darkness, Florestan dreams that Leonore has come to free him, but his vision turns to despair, and he sinks exhausted to the floor. Rocco and Leonore enter, and she tries to identify the unconscious prisoner. When the grave is finished, Florestan awakens and implores Rocco to send a message to his wife in Seville. He begs the jailer to give him a drink of water, and Leonore gives him a bit of bread, urging him not to lose faith. Pizarro appears and draws his dagger, but as he is about to strike, Leonore leaps forward and holds him at bay with a pistol, crying, "First kill his wife!" At that moment a trumpet alarm sounds from the battlements. Don Fernando has arrived. Rocco and the raging Pizarro depart as Leonore and Florestan are joyfully reunited.
Act II, Scene II – The Entrance to the Prison
The townspeople gather to greet the freed prisoners, and Don Fernando proclaims justice for all. He is amazed to see his old friend Florestan, whom he had presumed dead. Rocco presents Leonore to him, relating the details of her heroism. Marzelline gazes in wonderment at Leonore, no longer Fidelio. Pizarro is arrested for his crimes and led away. Leonore herself removes Florestan's chains, and the crowd salutes Leonore's selfless courage.