Classical Music With Big Mike

This was first published in 2018:

The great composer, Ludwig Van Beethoven’s, only opera was called Fidelio. This started out as a three Act opera and then scaled down to a two Act opera [with the second Act basically having two parts]. Beethoven struggled in finding the appropriate overture for this opera. He was never happy with his attempts.  He actually wrote four different overtures for this opera. His first attempt was actually called the Leonore #2. Then he came up with the Leonore #3 overture. The third overture  Beethoven worked on is actually known as the Leonore overture #1.  Beethoven called his fourth attempt, the Fidelio overture. 

My favorite, and I think most concert goers favorite of the four overtures is the Leonore #3. 

Beethoven finally decided to open the opera with the scaled down [in length], “Fidelio overture”, the name of the opera. So, I like to say that Beethoven chose overture door #4 to open up his opera.

While Beethoven opened the opera with his Fidelio overture something unique was done in between two parts of the second Act. 

When I first published this post I had incorrectly stated that it was Beethoven himself who chose to insert the Leonore Overture#3 between Acts, making this a unique opera that actually had two overtures performed in it. I found out, thanks to the kind Houston Symphony Orchestra’s  musical ambassador at that time, Maestro Carlos Andres Botero, who corrected me in a message that it was not Beethoven, but “Carlos Klaiber, who decided to insert the great Leonore Overture #3 as an opener for the Second Act.” Carlos Andres Botero told me that “it was a brilliant idea, that I’m sure Beethoven would have approved.” Thank you so much, Ambassador Botero for the wonderful information!

The Leonore overture #3 is an intensely dramatic, full-scale symphonic movement that is played often in concert halls as a concert overture-a stand alone piece. Usually when you find such a dramatic piece of music it is in a minor key, but Beethoven brilliantly manages to deliver this dramatics in C Major.  It is a magnificent piece of music.

So, please turn up the volume and enjoy these two wonderful overtures for Beethoven’s only Opera, Fidelio. The Fidelio Overture, that Beethoven chose to open his opera with; and the Leonore Overture #3, played between Acts and also played as a stand alone Concert Overture.

Fidelio Overture:

Leonore Overture #3: