Fidelio’s Journey

Thoughts inspired by Martin Bernheimer’s Feb. 16 review of “Fidelio” as produced by the San Diego Opera Company:

Since I moved to Orange County 18 months ago, I have seen two performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, “La Cenerentola” and “Macbeth.” La Cenerentola turned up as Alice in Wonderland with a little girl wandering around the stage for no reason discernable to me, and “Macbeth” was a kabuki drama. So learning that Fidelio had moved from 17th-Century Spain to 1989 Central America comes as no surprise. So what if Beethoven loses out in the end? He’s dead (as are Rossini and Verdi) and can’t really complain.

ARTHUR E. OAKS

Anaheim