Thread: Beethoven's Leonare/Fidelio Opus 72

A "significant" opera missing in my collection, perhaps deliberately so far, is Beethoven's Leonare or Fidelio, opus 72.

I'm thinking of buying John Eliot Gardiner's version, played by the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique (on period instruments) with various soloists. While I'm generally a HIP fan and given that this is perhaps the only HIP version around, I'm open to any suggestions by any performance practice.

So, which one do you recommend?

I haven't heard a lot of Fidelio recordings (I am not a big fan of it) but Mackerras also have released a period Fidelio if I am not wrong. I am not sure if Harnoncourt's one is period. But the best Fidelio I have heard and the one most people recommend is still Klemperer's, which I recommend as your first Fidelio.

The Mackerras and Harnoncourt recordings with modern instruments with I believe some HIP additions such as natural trumpets etc. They are not %100 HIP but make use of strong HIP influence.
I haven't heard the Gardiner Leonore but remember the excellent Blomstedt/Dresden recording of it from LP days. It may still be available. There's also a modern instrument recording conducted by Michel Soustrot with,appropriately, the Bonn Beethovenhalle orchestra ,recorded in the city where Beethoven was born, but I haven't heard this,either.

Klemperer on EMI.