Beethoven: Fidelio (Live)

Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, was a work the composer struggled with on and off for several years, offering up several overtures and subjecting it to much revision; indeed, even the naming of the work took on a bit of operatic drama. This 1957 live performance is a most interesting one for collectors to consider, presenting as it does a recording from Athens, Greece with Jascha Horenstein at the helm, and showcasing, at or near her vocal peak, the renowned Wagnerian and dramatic soprano Martha Mödl as Lenore in partnership with Italian spinto tenor Giuseppe Zampieri as Florestan.