There is quite a story to this overture, which is really all about one overture changed several times. Beethoven wrestled with his opera “Fidelio” for many years and was never pleased with the overtures because they were too long, too powerful and too overpowering for the rest of the opera.
The opera was initially a failure:
It only ran for about three performances, and that gave him years to rethink the whole thing. There is additional confusion because the names “Leonore” and “Fidelio” are simply two different names for the same opera, and he waffled on which one was going to be the name he would stick with. Finally, the numbering is totally wrong. No. 3 is actually No. 1.
Herbert Blomstedt – 1805: Leonore Overture No. 2 in C major, age 34
This is the first one he wrote, although it is numbered as the 2nd.
Instruments:
- two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons
- four horns, two trumpets, three trombones
- an offstage trumpet
- timpani
- strings
Nicolás Pasquet – 1806: Leonore Overture No. 3 in C major, age 35
This was the 2nd, not the 3rd, and that’s why the numbering is so screwed up.
Instruments:
- two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons
- four horns, two trumpets, three trombones
- an offstage trumpet
- timpani
- strings
Claudio Abbado – 1807: Leonore Overture No. 1 in C major, age 36
And finally here is the 3rd, but it’s numbered as the first. Very confusing. The instrumentation is about the same, but this time there is no offstage trumpet.
Instruments:
- two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons
- four horns, two trumpets, three trombones
- no offstage trumpet
- timpani
- strings
It appears that Beethoven used the same orchestration for each of the “Leonore” overtures, but he got rid of the idea of having an offstage trumpet in this one.
Andrés Orozco-Estrada – 1814: Fidelio Overture in E major, age 43
Instruments:
- two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons
- four horns, two trumpets, two trombones
- no offstage trumpet
- timpani
- strings
Now there are only two trombones instead of three, and there is no offstage trumpet player. This is shorter because Beethoven was trying to write an overture that did not totally overpower the rest of his opera.
Which overture is best?
Since I have zero interest in opera, and that’s never going to change, I don’t care which overture fits best for the opera. I just enjoy the overtures for what they are. To me they are all good.