Fidelio, so difficult to bring off in the theatre, is an ideal opera for listening to at home. In this recording we have the best of both worlds: all the intensity of stage performances without the irritations of Deborah Warner’s production. (We hear, unfortunately, the murder of Don Pizarro, but are spared the absurd focusing on the plight of Marzelline at the end.)

As one expects from Glyndebourne performances, the teamwork of the singers is impeccable. But the highest praise must be reserved for Mark Elder. Whereas his predecessor, when the production was first staged in 2001, raced through the score as though he had a train to catch, Elder paces it almost to perfection. He instils confidence from the start with a weighty account of the Overture. The opening scene, before Fidelio appears, has the right lightness of touch. The mood darkens when Don Pizarro enters (after much stage clatter). His vengeance aria works up to a terrific climax, albeit with understated horns at “in seiner letzten Stunde” (compare Klemperer’s Philharmonia!). Elder’s steady speeds, his close attention to crescendos and sforzandos, reflect the drama in the most wonderful way. There are just two places where it seems to me that his instinct deserted him: the lingering at the beginning of “Euch werde Lohn” (and at the reprise), and the speedy, almost perfunctory response to the first trumpet-call. Against that, I could cite numerous examples of his sensitivity, such as the dying fall of the Act 1 finale.

That finale, of course, includes the Prisoners’ Chorus: the Glyndebourne Chorus sing it beautifully and it’s Beethoven’s fault, not theirs, if they sound improbably robust. The Act 2 finale, where the prisoners are joined by “the people”, is another matter: a jubilant outburst, gloriously sung.

The cast is excellent: especially Torsten Kerl, deeply moving in his aria. Minor drawbacks include an editing slip that adds a half-bar to the Act 2 quartet and a not wholly accurate translation of the libretto. The competition is formidable: Klemperer (EMI, 10/00R) is peerless and Colin Davis (LSO Live, 3/07 – with minimal dialogue) mightily impressive, but Elder can hold his head high in their company.