Guillaume Tell

[+ g56whiz]

I'm listening to this live from The Met via SiriusXM. It's my first Tell and the first time the Met has done it in 85 years and it's one of the most exciting things I've heard. The voices in these killer roles are thrilling and they need to be because the choral parts unbelievable. Unfortunately it will not be shown Live in HD this season which is ok here since our local Cinemax has cancelled showing these live in HD performances.

[whipped guy]

I'm listening to this live from The Met via SiriusXM. It's my first Tell and the first time the Met has done it in 85 years and it's one of the most exciting things I've heard. The voices in these killer roles are thrilling and they need to be because the choral parts unbelievable. Unfortunately it will not be shown Live in HD this season which is ok here since our local Cinemax has cancelled showing these live in HD performances.

I'm seeing it live this Friday night... Then I'll be traveling... When I get my act together I'll post my impressions. However, the piece is massive and it's unlike any other Rossini opera that you might have heard. I recall a broadcast from the Proms at Royal Albert Hall in London a few years ago where after the applause died down after the overture some guy yelled out, "And that's just the overture!" That kind of sums up what follows!

 

I was disappointed that it was not scheduled for an HD and I delayed my travels to catch it live. Fortunately a taped audio performance is scheduled for the MET Saturday broadcasts in 2017.

[+ g56whiz]

I'm seeing it live this Friday night... Then I'll be traveling...

 

I'm so jealous! But PLEASE at least a one word review before you depart - if you can return to reality in time afterward.

[body2body]

This production directed by Pierre Audi was premiered at the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam in 2013. That may be the reason the production was not scheduled for broadcast. The Met may not own the broadcast rights. With broadcasts from Covent Garden, La Scala, etc becoming an increasingly important revenue stream, I suspect that many companies now jealously guard their broadcast rights.

[hornytwells]

Seeing it Friday night!

[+ g56whiz]

Seeing it Friday night!

 

[+ WilliamM]

New York Times Review of Guillaume Tell:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/arts/music/review-rossini-guillaume-tell-metropolitan-opera-pierre-audi.html?hpw&rref=arts&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well

[sydneyboy]

The NY Times reviewer poses the question why Rossini ceased to compose opera after ''William Tell'' when was still only in his late 30's. This question was once put to Richard Bonynge. His answer was that this was Rossini's worst opera and he had run out of steam. No doubt this judgement will provoke argument among opera buffs but this was the view of a leading bel canto conductor.

[whipped guy]

The NY Times reviewer poses the question why Rossini ceased to compose opera after ''William Tell'' when was still only in his late 30's. This question was once put to Richard Bonynge. His answer was that this was Rossini's worst opera and he had run out of steam. No doubt this judgement will provoke argument among opera buffs but this was the view of a leading bel canto conductor.

I recall Bonynge saying that or something similar. I have read much on the topic of Rossini's "Great Renunciation" (as part of a project I did for a course many years ago) and have come to the conclusion that it was part of his genius that allowed him to retire at such an early age.

 

Of all the theories the one that is the most probable concerns the the fact that Rossini had physical and mental issues. Composers such as Mozart, Pergolesi, Mendelssohn, Bellini, Chopin, Bizet, etc. all had a health crisis at an early age and met their demise. Rossini, unlike those mentioned, was able to survive his crisis. When his health returned he was able to return to composition albeit is a very different genre.

 

The only major composition that occurred during his crisis years was the Stabat Mater and it proved that he still had his powers intact. However, in a nutshell the history of its composition is very convoluted. He had a composer named Tadolini finish the composition for him as he found it a struggle with the stipulation that it never be published. When an attempt was made to do so he was forced to recompose the non authentic portions. A legal battle ensued. As such necessity was able to inspire him to return to composition if only briefly.

[whipped guy]

I'm so jealous! But PLEASE at least a one word review before you depart - if you can return to reality in time afterward.

I am indeed on a train and on my iPhone as I am writing this. The production was not perfect, but in the final analysis Rossini's genius saved the day and I am still on a considerable high from the experience!

 

I am working on a detailed review that will discuss the staging, musical matters, and the historical importance of the piece. I will post it when it is completed which might take a bit of time considering that I am all thumbs when typing on a small phone keyboard. That and the jerky motions of the train might slightly delay the process but it will be today. I know what I want to say it's just a matter of getting it in print.

[hornytwells]

I was also there last night and had very mixed views, but thought Luisi and Finley and the chorus were the three stand out things of the evening!

[whipped guy]

Rossini: Guillaume Tell

Metropolitan Opera House

October 21, 2016

 

It is generally said that the the first large scale French Grand Opera was Auber's La Muette de Portici in 1828. However, it has also been said that the first "real" Grand Opera, the piece that consolidated the form and also contained great music, was Rossini's Guillaume Tell from 1829. This was eventually followed by Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable of 1831 by which time the genre was more or less consolidated. What is interesting is that while Meyerbeer was the genre's main proponent it has been asserted that the greatest French Grand Opera was Verdi's Don Carlos. To that I would add Rossini's Guillaume Tell as a possible runner up.

 

In any event, with Tell Rossini was striving to say something different compared to his previous operas. In that regard it is analogous to Les Contes d'Hoffman where Offenbach as the composer of so many light comedies wanted to illustrate that he could write a large serious work on a grander scale. While Rossini is noted for his comic operas, he was highly regarded as a composer of serious works in his day. While he had previously composed works on a large scale such as the Italian Semiramide and the French Le Siége de Corinthe. Nothing that he previously composed reached the heights, massive scale, and new directions found in Tell. In that regard the piece is also analogous to Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. In Tristan Wagner forged a new path. If one did not know the composer one would think that it was a work by a composer who was greatly influenced by Wagner. The same can be said of Guillaume Tell where new operatic ground was broken and as such it might be the work of a composer who was greatly influenced by Rossini, because while it contained certain Rossinian attributes it really was not like any other opera that had preceded it. In fact Wagner told Rossini that in Tell he even anticipated his own ideas regarding operatic composition. Wagner was referencing Tell's third act solo. However, the final pages of Tell have a contour that can remind one of the "Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla" that concludes Das Rheingold.

 

What is also impressive about Tell is how Rossini evokes nature and the peaceful Swiss countryside. Yet he concurrently and powerfully paints a picture of the oppression the Swiss must endure under their Austrian masters. The contrast between the two is part of what makes the pieces so convincing, and especially in the final act where nature in the form of a violent storm intercedes on behalf of the Swiss patriots. Along those lines in the final portion of the second act he effectively evokes the feelings of patriotism that continues with Arnold's fourth act aria and ultimately culminates in the final hymn to liberty referenced above that concludes the piece as rays of sunshine fill the stage. Along the way are arias of melting beauty such as the soprano's sublime "Sombre forét" and Tell's agonizing solo just prior to the scene with the apple, not to mention the duet and trio in the second act.

 

The cast at the MET did the opera proud. Pride of place went to Bryan Hymel in the tenor role of Arnold. His is a voice of metal, but it is a finely burnished metal such that it is not overly bright yet it retains a certain amount of power and glow. He nailed the high C's in act four cabaletta. Rossini did not appreciate when such high notes were punched out forcefully. Hymel sang the notes in full voice, but they had a slightly covered characteristic that gave them a pleasing quality that Rossini might actually have tolerated. Soprano Marina Rebeka has a powerful upper resister that at times she had trouble totally reigning in. In addition she has a tendency to aspirate her coloratura. It is not something that is overly offensive, but it is in the tradition of her Eastern European origins. Still her portrayal of Matilde was a success compared to recent Bel Canto outings at the MET. John Relyea as the villain was a powerful Gessler in a Darth Vader sort of way. In the title role Gerald Finley gave a smooth rendition of the famed Swiss patriot that at times could have used a tad more power and authority. That he did not stand out better in the proceedings was mainly the fault of the staging and the costumes. Yet if the concept was to have him blend in with the rest of the populace as simply one of many who yearn for liberty then that goal was met. The supporting cast was fine with special mention for Michele Angelini (a singer to watch!) in the small tenor role of Roudi who has the operas first aria and the Jemmy of Janai Brugger.

 

The chorus (who since taken over by Donald Palumbo has never sounded better) has a lot to do in the piece and actually propels much of the action. They were their usual reliable self as was the orchestra under Fabio Luisi, who milked every ounce out of Rossini's massive score. At times there might have been a bit more propulsion to his conducting such as in the concluding section of the first act duet, but he choose to emphasize the nobility of Rossini's score, and a noble score it indeed it! His conception worked splendidly and especially in the opera's final ensemble which brought the piece to a radiant conclusion.

 

Regarding cuts, the only major excisions in the first act act that I readily noticed was the first act ballet the "Pas de six" traditionally known as the "Passo a sei". (Of course in a bit of miscommunication the piece was referenced in the program notes!) It also seemed that some mainly repeated material from the ballet in the Act Three was excised as well. In addition Jemmy's aria was not performed in the third act, but that was cut by Rossini himself prior to the premiere. However, the final scene of the fourth act was cut to shreds. Something similar was done during the first run of performances because patrons were missing the final train out of Paris. In the original there is a beautiful trio and prayer as the storm slowly permeates the Swiss countryside. The cuts totally destroyed the structure of the scene and was a major disappointment. Also confusingly there was no scene change in that last act so that Arnold's homestead also served as Tell's abode. While the stage was bathed in a golden glow for the opera's finale it would have been more uplifting for something more spiritually evocative than what looked like misplaced (albeit radiantly shining) sewer pipes hovering over the Swiss countryside.

 

One minor disappointment concerned the fact that the second and third acts were seamlessly joined together. After the exhilarating conclusion of the second act one always needs to pause and catch one's breath. Indeed Berlioz himself made that very observation in his critical analysis of the piece. Given the staging, It was impossible to do so and it was beyond disconcerting to be suddenly thrust into a totally different scene and situation without a moment of pause. It also suppressed the natural applause that would have occurred at such a point, which applause was definitely written into the music!

 

Fortunately the piece was performed in the original French. This is definitely a piece that benefits from the shape and tone of the French language. When performed in Italian it sounds like displaced early to middle period Verdi. Speaking of which, the French grand operas of Donizetti and Verdi sound reasonable (if still not perfect) in Italian translation. Not so Tell, where Rossini made specific efforts to tailor the vocal lines to the contours of the French language.

 

The staging was a bit controversial but that seems to be the standard practice today. The scenery consisted mostly of moveable rock formations and the wooden frameworks of several Swiss chalets. At least nothing was offensive with the possible exception of some bloody corpses that were dragged on stage at the end of the first act. The third act ballet was choreographed a bit strangely and had a somewhat S&M theme to reinforce the Austrian oppression as if that were not already known. The fact that the opera survived the stage director's concept is a tribute to the solidity and substance of the music, not to mention Rossini's genius. Incidentally the first two sections of the overture were staged. This began with what looked like a sleeping Brünnhilde and Woton from Wagner's Die Walküre and continued with a storm raging across the Swiss landscape. Then suddenly there was no action for the calm after the storm and the final gallop. Strange! Also, nothing was done to make the soprano who was portraying Tell's son Jemmy look or act remotely masculine. Tell might as well have had a daughter named Jemmia! Regarding the costumes, the Austrians were in black and the Swiss in a drab grey and white color. All the characters were so similarly dressed that it was difficult to tell who was who. Plus at times it was difficult to tell who Tell was! At the curtain calls I really had no clue who some the minor characters were.

 

One final thought regarding the cuts... I would doubt that a semiquaver was eliminated in the MET's current staging of Tristan und Isolde. I realize that Rossini being a practical man of the theatre often revised his operas to suit a specific production or specific singers. Plus with these massive French grand operas often more music was written than was performed. However, in this day and age it might not be a bad thing to be able to experience a piece as originally conceived. As I said, simply a thought.