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
Washington National Opera order of the day". Four months later, the Society staged a double bill of Gian Carlo Menotti's opera "The Old Maid and the Thief" along with his ballet "The Unicorn, The Gorgon, and the Manticore". It was very successful with both the public and critics alike. Successful presentations followed from November 1957 onwards: "Fidelio"; "Ariadne auf Naxos"; "Idomeneo"; a double bill of Schoenberg's "Erwartung" and Stravinsky's "Le Rossignol" (conducted by the composer); and a December 1961 "The Magic Flute" which resulted in an invitation from President John Kennedy at the White House for some excerpts from the opera. By this