It seems as though we barely have La Traviata behind us and here we are in the thick of preparations for Fidelio. On Wednesday last I went to the Hampton Opera Center for the traditional Meet 'n Greet breakfast. This is not only an opportunity to chew the fat with the principals, conductor and director of the current production but offers an excellent chance to hear what they all have to say about the production with which they are involved, about themselves, their families and their careers. There is also a spirited question-and-answer session. I have been looking forward to this get-together particularly because while I have never been to a fully-staged production of Fidelio, I have been to a concert performance and have listened to the music some - and I don't get it. I have just not been able to get excited about it. And yet I have always suspected that the deficiency lay with me rather than Beethoven (No - really? Who'da guessed that one?) There seems to be general agreement that the work is a masterpiece and yet it seems that it isn't performed much; well, certainly not with the regularity or frequency of the major Verdi or Mozart operas or anything at all by Puccini. I was hoping for some informed and educated views and of course I was not disappointed.

The first surprising piece of information came from Maestro Arthur Fagan and was that while it is true that Fidelio is not on the list of most-performed operas in the USA it suffers from no such neglect in Europe where, particularly in Germany, it is a regular crowd-pleaser. So, tell me, Maestro, is this really a great opera and what have I been missing? The answer apparently is that while one may wish to add the label 'flawed' to the description 'masterpiece' it none the less belongs in the rarified atmosphere of that operatic club. Well, okay, Maestro, but give me some real examples and not just general blurb. He provided them. The quartet in Act One he rates as one of the loveliest in opera and the closing twenty minutes of the opera are among the most powerful and uplifting you will ever get to see on stage, quoth he. So why is that the word 'flawed' keeps coming up? Two principal reasons apparently: the libretto is something of a mess (no big surprises there. This is opera, dude!) and the manner in which Beethoven wrote the score. We all know Ludwig v.B principally as a symphonic-certainly instrumental - composer. He seems to have experienced a good deal of difficulty in writing for the voice and if you listen to a CD of Fidelio thereby avoiding the distractions inherent in watching a staged performance it becomes clear that he wrote for the voice as though he were writing for orchestral instruments. This not only makes it very difficult to sing but lends a quality to the music that we do not usually associate with opera. That doesn't mean it is not great music ; what it means is that it is not what we have come to expect and we should re-calibrate our aural senses accordingly. I am nursing a quiet feeling that about a three weeks from now I shall be trumpeting the glory of Fidelio to anyone who will listen and be basking in the joy which accompanies a new personal musical 'discovery'.

The Director of Fidelio is Helena Binder. Now Ms Binder is (I do hope she won't mind me saying so) my kinda woman! In addition to being an experienced and accomplished director of operas she has been an actor, a choreographer and a rock-and-roll star. She is animated, witty and conveys a sense of passion for her work I find totally captivating. She was asked "What is Fidelio about?". She gave us a fairly detailed synopsis of the plot but what it really boils down to is that it is the story of an oppressor whose way of dealing with political dissidents is to keep them hidden from view and unable to make contact in any way with the outside world. Our hero, Florestan, is one such prisoner and is being held by the villain Don Pizzaro who plans to kill Florestan who is an embarrassment to himself and his regime. Fortunately Florestan is rescued at the last moment by his wife Leonore who has been disguised as a man and by Don Fernando, the Minister of something-or-other. Virtue and loyalty triumph and Don Pizzaro has to go back to running a multi-national corporation which thrives in times of conflict - oh no, wait a minute, that was another villain, another war and another prison, wasn't it? Plus ça change plus ça la même chose, eh? As Ms Binder was at pains to point out, Fidelio is being presented for us at a most timely period of our history. She has chosen to set this production in current times. Well, that should be interesting.

And here she is as a member of the 1980's group Blotto with their hit I Wanna Be A Lifeguard!

This week's header photograph is not of Ms Binder but of another lifeguard, Alexandra Paul one of the Baywatch babes. For weeks now I have been looking for an opportunity to post it here. Who'da thunk I would have Portland Opera's Fidelio to thank for finally being able to do so?

My regular readers will know that I am a big fan of Opera Theater Oregon. By way of disclaimer let me say that I took a small part in their last production but that my participation was brought about by my enthusiasm for the company and what it does and not the other way around. Anyway, I received notice this week that their latest production, Gian-Carlo Menotti's The Medium opens on Wednesday of this week and will run for a total of five performances. I shall be going of course and will let you know what I think but I would suggest that you not wait for me to tell you how great it was; get your tickets now and psych yourselves up for an evening of great entertainment. Here's OTO's web site link.

A brief follow-up on the continuing story of Bryn Terfel. It would seem he has faced his demons, has canceled some performances and is going to take an extended break from opera. I am glad. We look forward to his return in robust good health.

The World Series begins this week. Philadelphia versus Tampa Bay. Talk about a television network executive's nightmare match-up. Someone will win of course but does anyone outside of Philly and Tampa give a damn which of them it is? Not me. Dodgers-RedSox? Now that one I would have stayed up for.

Have a fun and productive week.