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Rating: 
Summary: Well sung & staged; marred by poor supporting documentation
Review: All the elements are there for an enjoyable experience. Whilst not in the front line of operas, such as Aida, Rigoletto, Carmen and La Traviata, Beethoven's Fidelio is composed of music that is deeply satisfying. The story line, when you eventually figure this out (see below), is appealing, even in modern times. The singers are quite competent and photogenic, and sing with feeling and good stage presence. It is somewhat odd that a burly and healthy looking Joseph Protschka sings the part of Florestan, when he is supposed to have been some time in the dungeon, and on "half rations", but, hey, this is opera!The audio is very good; both PCM Stereo and Dolby 5.1 options are available; thanks mainly to the conductor (Christoph Von Dohnanyi). The video is clear and crisp. Generally, stage presentations of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden are second only to the Metropolitan's; the less lavish budgets of the former, may account for this. The set lighting for this Fidelio is bright, and the backdrops appealing. Then why not five stars? Poor packaging! It has become standard for DVD operatic presentations to come with no libretto, so I cannot complain about this. But all the packaging gives are the names of the singers. Some of these singer's voices and faces will not be at all familiar to most of us, so it is very confusing at first, to try and identify the singers and the parts they are portraying. Especially so, when, early on, one of the male looking singers, Fidelio (aka Leonore), is clearly a woman (she is - see below), and another woman (Marzelline) is in love with him (her) to the delight of the latter's (Marzelline's) father (Rocco). Confusing isn't it! I eventually had to skip to the ending credits and write down the relevant information to resolve this unforgivable oversight. Worse! Apart from a general (and brief) blurb about the importance of the opera when originally written, there is not a hint of any synopsis of the story line. I eventually figured this one out as well. So this presentation had to lose one star. It is still well worth having, but to save you from unnecessary grief, I give below details on the main characters, and at the same time indicate the parts they play. This is really all the information you require to fully appreciate this otherwise excellent presentation. I'm sure you will easily figure out the rest. They are listed in order of appearance: Jaquino (Neill Archer) - a prison turnkey, in love with Marzelline Marzelline (Marie McLauglin) - In love with Fidelio, who is actually Leonore in disguise. Rocco (Robert LLoyd) - father of Marzelline, and the chief prison guard Fidelio, actually Leonore (Gabriela Benachova) - disguised as a male prison guard to try and rescue her husband, Florestan, who, she believes, is imprisoned in the dungeon. Don Pizarro (Monte Pederson) - the prison Governor, and the "heavy" of the story; wants to "eliminate" Florestan. First Prisoner (Lynton Atkinson) Second Prisoner (Mark Beesley) Florestan (Joseph Protschka) - a "freedom fighter" and a prisoner in the dungeon. Don Fernando (Hans Tchammer) - a "fair minded" Government Minister Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Okay
Review: Good, not great. For one thing, the dialogue is kinky. How could any producer of "Fidelio" omit that wonderful exchange: when Florestan tells his wife how much she's done for him, and she replies, "Nichts, nichts, mein Florestan." A real weeper, for sure. And this guy cuts it. AAAH! Singing is good. Staging is rather less impressive than the old Glyndebourne production on video. When will someone release Bernstein's production?
Rating:
Summary: Okay
Review: Good, not great. For one thing, the dialogue is kinky. How could any producer of "Fidelio" omit that wonderful exchange: when Florestan tells his wife how much she's done for him, and she replies, "Nichts, nichts, mein Florestan." A real weeper, for sure. And this guy cuts it. AAAH! Singing is good. Staging is rather less impressive than the old Glyndebourne production on video. When will someone release Bernstein's production?
Rating:
Summary: Solid Performance
Review: This is a solid performance that provides a decent idea of what this opera is like. The singing is uniformly good and Beethoven's stirring score provides it share of goosebumps. Some of the singers are pretty effective actors, particularly Rocco. But I find Pizarro a little wooden and un-scary (with an expression suggesting the eating of too many pickles); and Leonore/Fidelio not at ease with her character. Another poster commented on Florestan's plump physique, and I agree; the dungeon seems actually to have agreed with him. As for Leonore, I realize that no woman singing a role in drag could fool anyone in the real world. This Leonore, though, barely tries, given her ample bosom (which is apparent behind her coat) and netted long hair in back. This is asking for a bit too much suspension of disbelief. I would prefer a less buxom singer who looks more appropriate in drag. As for the sets and costumes, they're conservative and rather literal, and don't add much to the proceedings. And while the story may take place in sunny Spain, I would have liked a darker, more forbidding feel.
Rating: 
Summary: A Glorious Fidelio
Review: This is my seventh or eighth opera on DVD (I have over 250 operas on CD)and since I had never heard of the principal singers before, I was rather anxious when I bought it. However, the entire production is really quite glorious. It is everything a Fidelio should be in terms of voice, orchestra, scenery and visuals, and sound reproduction. This has been the only opera DVD I have purchased that I felt obliged to watch straight through (it got better and better) and then I watched it again the following day in its entirety. I haven't been able to give von Karajan's Don Giovanni a complete run through yet. So inspite of my not knowing the principals, I would very highly recommend this DVD to anyone. It is, in my opinion, a "must have".
Rating:
Summary: Really good ACTING as well as first-rate musicianship
Review: This performance is so absorbing, so convincing, and so satisfying that I will just mention the few flaws I saw: 1. Monte Pederson's voice often seems pinched to me, an understandable problem with the extremely shouty and difficult role of Pizarro. 2. Josef Protschka is much too fat to be Florestan visually. He 's supposed to have been living on two ounces of bread a day for many months, right? Normally I would not even mention this, but it's particularly irksome because virtually all other visual aspects of this performance are so convincing. Robert Lloyd deserves special credit for his supportive ensemble singing and for conveying the various facets of Rocco's personality--the cheerful father bouncing Marzelline on his knee, the cowering underling who refuses to kill, and the crippled taskmaster who keeps Leonore focused on her digging.
Rating:
Summary: Really good ACTING as well as first-rate musicianship
Review: This performance is so absorbing, so convincing, and so satisfying that I will just mention the few flaws I saw: 1. Monte Pederson's voice often seems pinched to me, an understandable problem with the extremely shouty and difficult role of Pizarro. 2. Josef Protschka is much too fat to be Florestan visually. He 's supposed to have been living on two ounces of bread a day for many months, right? Normally I would not even mention this, but it's particularly irksome because virtually all other visual aspects of this performance are so convincing. Robert Lloyd deserves special credit for his supportive ensemble singing and for conveying the various facets of Rocco's personality--the cheerful father bouncing Marzelline on his knee, the cowering underling who refuses to kill, and the crippled taskmaster who keeps Leonore focused on her digging.
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