I think he writes about love as well as anybody and it's resolved love. And it's not like vulgar's love, it never achieves orgasm, Beethoven’s stance. So I think the man-woman relationship and power and potency of love is even more important than the other great theme of Fidelio which is freedom, a freedom of speech, freedom of behavior and a horror of a totalitarian or fascist rule. 

 

Fidelio, Beethoven's only opera was finally performed to great acclaim in 1814 during the congress of Vienna which celebrated the end of 20 years of war in Europe. Beethoven now 43 reached the peak of his fame. But in his family life，disaster followed. His brother died and Beethoven became joint guardian of his nephew Karl along with the child's mother. In 1815 a five-year custody battle began. 

 

Beethoven knew that his sister-in-law did have a shady side of her character and Beethoven devoted all his resources to wresting that son from his own mother. He was in emotional turmoil over the nephew who was after all the only Beethoven of the next generation. Also one has to remember what was happening with his deafness. It was becoming more and more profound. He was not composing as he would want to, nothing significant for a period of time. But it may also be that Beethoven's going through sort of, some sort of gestational period that what was happening was he was coming into a new style, he realized the heroic style had passed. In fact, Beethoven's compositional periods can often be marked by slow periods where he's shedding his skin and then starting up with a new style which is very fruitful.