“Ludwig van Beethoven composed only one opera, Leonore, later called Fidelio. Despite three different versions, it was not a great success. Beethoven, stricken by this failure, decided not to write any more operas, despite a few tentative attempts to do so that never came to fruition.
For a composer of such power and undeniable genius, I have always found it curious that he was unable to give his contemporaries, and indeed posterity, several operas. So I gave in to the temptation of fiction to explain this mystery. I brought in a character who took the guise of his best friend, Dr Wegeler, and who was none other than the devil who had come to tempt him. This temptation, as with Faust, comes down to a proposition: offer Beethoven the chance to compose the most magnificent operas in exchange for… We know the pact. Ludwig, of course, refuses, draped in his pride. My Lucifer’s punishment would be a real curse, a terrible one for a composer, a musician, a music-loving madman: deafness.
As you can see, the play is an idea, a poet’s hypothesis. I found it amusing, and I hope the audience will too, thanks to Stéphane Cottin’s direction and the subtle, humorous performances by Jean-Paul Farré and Jean-Jacques Moreau. Be that as it may, Beethoven remains one of the greatest and will continue to shine with his splendour in the wonderful world of music for a long time to come.” Gérard Savoisien