... he stumbled across a libretto inspired by the French technique, which intrigued him, and he jumped at the opportunity. By November of 1805, the initial version of what was called at the time "Leonora," was ready to be premiered. A key fact to the reception of this piece however lies in history. In late October 1805, Napoleon's armies were bearing down on Vienna (Brener 27). By the 30th they had entered Salzburg, leading to the flea of most persons of wealth and nobility (27). These people were who would have normally made up the audience at a premier such as Beethoven's first and last opera. So it was under these horrendous circumstances that "Fidelio" was performed at the Theatre an der Wien (28). The usual audience had either fled or was unable to reach the theater as the city had been closed to the suburbs (28). The initial version of ...

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