“The heroics of Beethoven’s Fifth. The exuberance of his Ode to Joy. The humor of his First Symphony. The drama of his Eroica. The Houston Symphony and [Music Director] Andrés Orozco-Estrada have embraced all that and more since they launched their Beethoven symphony cycle in 2015,” writes Steven Brown in Monday’s (2/13) artsandculturetx.com. “But the orchestra’s Beethoven journey will include one more landmark [in March]: Fidelio, his operatic celebration of love, courage and liberty.… With its themes of marital devotion and human brotherhood, the opera embodies two of Beethoven’s lifelong ideals. Orozco-Estrada … thinks Fidelio’s message still resonates. ‘One of Beethoven’s fixations was the political situation of his time—the time of the French Revolution and Napoleon,’ Orozco-Estrada says. ‘It seems like (the situation) hasn’t changed much in our day.… More than probably ever, at least in recent history in this country and everywhere, (now) is the time to reflect about right and wrong and freedom.’ … A streamlined production by Tara Faircloth … will include suggestions of stage action, simple props and attire, and video projections…. Ever since Orozco-Estrada took charge of the orchestra, building opera into its efforts has been one of his goals.”
Posted February 15, 2017
