Fidelio an der Wien. Beethoven was to set a new libretto by Schikaneder, entitled "Vestas Feuer"; however, this libretto was not to Beethoven's liking. He spent about a month composing music for it, then abandoned it when the libretto for "Fidelio" came to his attention. The time Beethoven spent on "Vestas Feuer" was not entirely wasted, as two important numbers from "Fidelio", Pizarro's "'Ha! Welch’ ein Augenblick!" and the duet "O namenlose Freude" for Leonora and Florestan, both originated as music for "Vestas Feuer". Beethoven remained as a resident of the Theater an der Wien for some time after he had
Fidelio to be broadcast in the USA, over the NBC radio network, in December 1944, by the NBC Symphony Orchestra, featuring soloists from the Metropolitan Opera (though a shortwave broadcast of one act, conducted by Toscanini, had earlier been relayed from a 16 August 1936 performance at Salzburg.) Divided into two consecutive broadcasts, the 1944 performances were later issued by RCA Victor on LPs and CDs. "Fidelio" was the first opera performed in Berlin after the end of the World War II, with the Deutsche Oper staging it under the baton of Robert Heger at the only undamaged theatre, the Theater