Huw Edwards uncovers the histories behind six favourite operas. 2: Fidelio. In the aftermath of the storming of the Bastille, politicians struggled to create a practical embodiment of the ideals that the the revolutionaries had cried out for. As Europe struggled to rediscoverthe meaning of liberty, Beethoven, facing up to his deafness, began to write an opera about the discovery and rescue Of a pol itical prisoner. Producer Martin Smith