The first of three politically charged stage works this season is Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio – a passionate musical protest against political oppression, first performed in the wake of the French Revolution. At its heart is the stirring ‘Prisoners’ Chorus’, a poignant hymn to freedom and the power of the human spirit. Australian tenor Stuart Skelton stars as the imprisoned Florestan, with soprano Ricarda Merbeth as his faithful and resourceful wife Leonore. Louise Alder, winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize at the 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, sings the role of Marzelline, the jailer’s daughter.