Huw Edwards uncovers the real-life history behind the scenes of six favourite operas.
2: Fidelio. In the aftermath of the storming of the Bastille, politicians struggled to create a practical embodiment of the ideals of the revolution. As Europe struggled to rediscover the meaning of liberty, Beethoven, facing up to the prison of his own deafness, began to write an opera about the discovery and rescue of a political prisoner. Producer Martin Smith (R)