Arguing about Fidelio

I called my friend Jean, she’s living in Oregon now, and she said she disagreed with everything I said in my blog, and I said, “Like what?” She loves Fidelio and has been fine with a mousy Leonora who is just trying to keep unnoticed.

But Jean, the one thing that never makes any sense in Fidelio is Rocco and Marzelina. If Leonora is successfully staying unnoticed, then why has Marzelina thrown over her perfectly respectable boy friend for her, and why is Rocco making such a fuss over her? These parts are what give Fidelio such a bad rep. A completely convincing Fidelio has to account for them, and this only happens if the pretense is completely convincing. No, you’re wrong. Leonora is a woman who dares big. She knows the risks, and she takes them.