On October 14, 17, 20, 22, 26, 30, Elza van den Heever returns to San Francisco Opera as Leonore in their new production of Fidelio. Envisioned by renowned director Matthew Ozawa, the opera gets a modern take with a detention center being the story’s setting where Leonore seeks answers regarding her activist partner’s disappearance.
A signature of Ms. van den Heever, her interpretation of the role has garnered rave reviews:
“While the cast was superb throughout, Elza Van Den Heever shone, even shocked, as Lenore … All attention is on her superb acting and particularly the voice. It floats totally supported by the breath. Huge and resounding, it seems effortless to produce, although perfection often does sound deceptively simple.” (Berkshire Fine Arts)
She will be joined on stage by Russell Thomas as Florestan, Greer Grimsley as Don Pizarro, and James Creswell as Rocco. Eun Sun Kim conducts.
Stream the production LIVE on October 14 and 20 at 7:30 pm PDT and 17 at 2 pm PDT for $25 via San Francisco Opera.