Beethoven: Fidelio - Bernard Haitink, Staatskapelle Dresden, Staatsopernchor Dresden

If it seems unlikely that this is a role which Jessye Norman would ever perform on stage, though the role of Leonore is vocally an ideal one for Norman's unique voice, the noblest instrument of them all. Norman's reading has a richness and epic scale, which is coupled with an ease in the upper register even beyond the others. It is thrilling to hear her rising effortlessly in power and beauty to the top Bs of ''Abscheulicher!'' (first disc, track 18, 3'53'' and 7'32''), and pinging home with not a flicker of hesitation on the B flat of ''Tot erst sein Weib!'' at the dramatic climax of the great quartet in Act 2 (second disc, track 6, 1'38'').

Norman's dominance—with every phrase conveying an intense facial expression—is established even before she begins to sing, for her speaking voice even in the brief lines she has in the dialogue before the canon quartet in Act 1, comes over with a magnetism to match that of her singing. Though no special mention is made of a stage producer or dramatic coach, the dialogue is exceptionally convincing and well-presented, leading on in tension from one number to the next, with each character very well defined. The recording was made in Dresden in November 1989, just at the time when the Berlin Wall was breached, and events in East Germany marked the end of the old regime with the very theme of Fidelio being enacted in reality. Plainly that affected the atmosphere behind the sessions, though Haitink as ever is a controlled rather than an inspirational or volatile Beethovenian, avoiding any hint of hysteria. That is so even at the end of Florestan's big aria, though that is in part a reflection of Reiner Goldberg's personality, a less outward-going singer than either Jon Vickers (for both Klemperer and Karajan) or Rene Kollo for Bernstein.

Haitink's control goes with a direct approach to the score, with far less moulding of phrase than with Karajan or Bernstein, and with the beauty of the line presented in simplicity, much closer to the manner of Klemperer and similarly magnetic. Haitink prefers steady speeds too. Sometimes, as in the canon quartet, an unusually slow speed treated very steadily threatens to undermine the sense of flow, but the concentration remains complete, so that the result is fresh and satisfying. It is notable too that in the performance of the Overture Leonore No. 3 that comes as an epilogue to Act 2 on the second disc, Haitink leads into the final coda without the usual rallentando, preferring to rely on the easing conveyed by a literal reading of the score. A must-hear-recording!

Cast:
Jessye Norman (Soprano)
Reiner Goldberg (Tenor)
Kurt Moll (Baritone)
Pamela Coburn (Soprano)
Hans-Peter Blochwitz (Tenor)
Ekkehard Wlaschiha (Baritone)
Andreas Schmidt (Baritone)
Egbert Junghanns ()
Wolfgang Millgramm ()

Staatskapelle Dresden, Staatsopernchor Dresden
Bernard Haitink

Date of Recording: 11/1989
Venue: Dresden, Germany
Length: 133 Minutes 26 Secs.

Notes:
Composition written: Vienna, Austria (1804).
Composition revised: Vienna, Austria (1806).
Composition revised: Vienna, Austria (1814).






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