Ep.167: Fidelio Pre-Performance Lecture with Philip Gainsley

Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera Fidelio had a long and complicated compositional history. In fact, Beethoven went through three different versions of the opera during his lifetime. No other composition gave him such frustration. So much so that he never attempted to write an opera again. Today we explore themes of freedom and love in Beethoven's only operatic work.