D. Stephen Heersink wrote:

>By the way, Leonare and Fidelio are one and the same, an unnecessary
>confusion.

This is not my area of expertise, but I don't think this is true.  The
opera was originally known as Leonore and was given the premier with that
name with the Leonore II overture.  (I don't think Leonore I was performed
when Beethoven was alive.) Beethoven revised the opera and there was a
second performance.  It was then revised again, with help from dramatist
Georg Treitschke.  (These are the revisions I'm aware of.) Both revisions
were extensive, overall including going from three acts to two, cutting
scenes, changing a locale, changing text, etc.  The third performance was
the version we know today, with the new Fidelio Overture replacing Leonore.
This was the first time the opera was given the name Fidelio.

There is at least one recording of Leonore (first version) with Herbert
Blomstedt on EMI.

Roger Hecht