Beethoven knew what it would take to save the Republic
.... as Peter Gelb reminded us on Saturday
Last Saturday, as he introduced the Metropolitan Opera’s live stream of Beethoven’s Fidelio to cinema and theatre audiences around the world, General Manager Peter Gelb did a remarkable thing. He used the opportunity to explain, in unequivocal terms, the parallel between the world in which Beethoven was compelled to write his only opera, and the world today.
Here are his remarks in full:
‘You know, in the early 1800s when Fidelio was composed, Beethoven believed in the power of the Republic - the right of the people to govern. That’s why Fidelio, Beethoven’s opera against tyranny and about individual resistance and heroism in the face of oppression, dealt an artistic blow to Napoleon’s ambitions to be the dictator of Europe. And it’s why Fidelio is such an important opera to be performed today, when the free world is under the gravest threat since World War II.’
‘In the great Abscheulicher aria that Leonore - disguised as Fidelio - sings in the first act, she calls out the tyrant who has kept her husband jailed as a political prisoner, for being a monster. And then she sings about the power of her love to guide her fight for victory. That’s a message to dictators that rings true today. Great art like Fidelio is a pillar of a free and just society. At the Metropolitan Opera, in our own fight for a civilized world, we always remain committed to its values of freedom from oppression.’
‘My personal heroine is my wife, the conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, founder of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, who, as I speak, is crossing the Ukrainian border for the sixth or seventh time since the invasion, to perform for the liberty of that heroic and embattled nation. So today’s performance of Fidelio, and other acts of artistic resistance, symbolize the democratic world’s fight for its inalienable rights of justice, freedom, and democracy. It also has some of the most heroically beautiful music ever composed.’
Beethoven’s original title for his only opera was Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love. Having listened to Gelb’s introduction, and enjoyed every minute of Jürgen Flimm’s production, especially the sublime singing of Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen in the title role, it struck me that while art has a crucial role to play in protecting society from those who would destroy it, and while inspiring words such as Gelb’s can serve as an important call to action, we still need to take whatever action is necessary to put the evil genie of authoritarianism firmly back in its bottle and ensure it stays there.
Perhaps Beethoven changed the title of his opera because he released that while the story of Leonore and Florestan is indeed the perfect example of the triumph of marital love, the circumstances that ultimately led to Florestan’s release took place beyond the confines of the grimy dungeon in which he was incarcerated. His liberation was the consequence of the determined efforts of people who, realizing their interests would never be served by falling obediently into line behind an autocrat who despised them, rose up and overthrew his diabolical and abusive rule.
Ultimately, it wasn’t marital love that saved Florestan, though his wife showed immense bravery. It was the love of ordinary people for their fellow citizens, manifest in the recognition that their collective interests were best served by fighting to overthrow a tyrannical leader.
It’s true that Trump won the electoral support of 30 per cent of eligible voters last November, largely because governments of both parties neglected the interests of those on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder for far too long. But his agenda is now clearer than at any time since he forced his way onto the American political scene.
He isn’t going to honor his constitutional obligation to hold elections in four (or even two) years time. If democracy in America is to survive, then action will have to be taken on the streets of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Seattle and elsewhere, just as it was on the streets of Fidelio’s Seville two centuries ago. Sacrifices will have to be made. Lives will inevitably be lost. But the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.
Fidelio is an opera about hope and the essential values that give meaning to our existence: tolerance, compassion, empathy, solidarity and cooperation. It is these values, values that embody the essence of our humanity, that Trump, Musk, Vance and their supine enablers are intent on destroying. They must be stopped.