William Tell, bitterly opposed to the Austrian rule, tries to persuade Arnold to join the cause of freedom, and Arnold promises to do so, though not yet. The governor, Gesler, rules the country harshly, and is extremely unpopular. William Wallace).Īrnold, a Swiss in Austrian service (tenor)Įvents take place in 13th century Switzerland, a country under Austrian occupation. Thus when William Tell opened at La Scala in December 1836, it had been somewhat doctored, and was produced under the title Guglielmo Vallace (i.e. The usual way out of such a situation was to provide a new title and characters, and relocate the story. When La Scala wanted to perform the work, the subject matter clearly made it impossible. It was widely assumed to be the first of many such pieces, but instead it remains unique in the composer's output.Ī Scottish footnote to the opera's history arises from the fact that, at the time of its composition, Northern Italy was under Austrian rule. The style of writing is completely different from his earlier work, shorn of the virtuosic coloratura effects of, for instance, his Neapolitan operas. Only in 1829 did he bring out a truly French work that was entirely original, and this was Guillaume Tell, a grand opera in four acts, on a historical subject, with dramatic choral episodes, spectacular scenic demands, and a ballet - just what Parisian audiences of the day required. His first entirely original opera was still composed to an Italian text, and was an elaborate comedy in celebration of the coronation of King Charles XII, Il viaggio a Reims.
įirst Performance in Scotland: Edinburgh (Theatre Royal), 25 February 1856.Īfter Rossini moved to Paris, he produced several operas that were grander adaptations of recent successes in Italy. Gioachino Rossini (born Pesaro, 29 February 1792 died Paris, 13 November 1868)Įtienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Louis-Florent Bis.ĭrama Wilhelm Tell (1804) by Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805).įirst Performance: Paris (Théâtre de L'Académie Royale de Musique), 3 August 1829.įirst Performance in UK: London (Drury Lane).
1856 - Mr Beale's Italian Opera Company Edinburgh 1856 - Mr Beale's Italian Opera Company Glasgow 1964 - Glasgow Grand Opera Society Glasgow 1992 - Haddo House Choral & Operatic Society Ellon, Aberdeenshire 2014 - Teatro Regio, Turin Edinburgh
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