Janos Gereben wrote: >The orchestra was front and center tonight in Davies Hall - physically, >musically, authentically. ... > >In the performance of the second half of Act 2, MTT's performance danced >with a manic intensity and rhythmic excitement reminiscent of his mentor, >Leonard Bernstein. There can be many other approaches to "Fidelio," but >it doesn't get any more gripping than this. > >... It's a pity that the "Leonore Overture No. 3" was not included - it >would have been tremendous. Sorry, I hate the introduction of Leonore III into staged performances of the opera; I believe Mahler started this because of the delay between scenes in the last act. Even opera houses with rotating stages play Leonore III, which to me interrupts the action. I bet LvB (the composer, not Steinway Piano's NYSE symbol) would not approve. Many, many years ago, Erich Leinsdorf did a concert performance of the original version of "Fidelio" (it was then titled "Leonore", hence the overtures by that name) with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This should be revived because there's bit more music than the current-day "Fidelio" if I recall correctly. Thus a peformance of "Fidelio" could have the same heft without playing the Leonore III to lengthen it. Laurence Glavin Methuen, MA