Opera in German The years following the French Revolution of 1789 had been some of the most turbulent in European history. In "Fidelio", Beethoven wanted to express the ideals of that Revolution: liberty, equality and fraternity. He was also inspired by contemporary French works, particularly the "rescue operas" of Luigi Cherubini. Beethoven was arguably not a natural composer of opera and, although "Fidelio" was premiered in 1805, it was not until 1814 that he produced its final version. Nevertheless, Fidelio is widely regarded as a masterpiece and is one of the key works in the German repertoire. In the early years of the
Andromaque (opera) Andromaque (opera) Andromaque is an opera in three acts by the composer André Ernest Modeste Grétry. The French libretto is an adaptation of Jean Racine's play "Andromaque" by Louis-Guillaume Pitra (1735-1818). It was first performed on 6 June 1780 by the Académie Royale de Musique (Paris Opera) in the second Salle du Palais-Royal. It was the only opera Grétry wrote in the form of a "tragédie lyrique". Grétry was regarded as the leading composer of "opéra comique" of his time and "Andromaque" was his only tragic opera for the Académie Royale de Musique. During the 1770s, Christoph Willibald von Gluck