William Tell by Grétry

[mikehopf]

The Lone Ranger rides again tonight on Radio Clasica d'Espana:

SPECIAL PROGRAM: "Guillaume Tell" de Grétry depuis l'ORW
L'Opéra Royal de Wallonie termine sa saison avec une rareté absolue, le Guillaume Tell de Grétry – petit opéra d'à peine une heure et demi, lesquelles contrastent avec les quatre heures que dure le Guillaume Tell de Rossini – et en réunissant, autour du chef Claudio Scimone, un plateau de gloires vocales belges : Anne-Catherine Gillet, Marc Laho, Lionel Lhote et Liesbeth de Vos.

Guillaume Tell : Marc LAHO
Madame Tell : Anne-Catherine GILLET
Guesler : Lionel LHOTE
Marie : Liesbeth DEVOS
Melktal père : Patrick DELCOUR
Melktal fils : Stefan CIFOLELLI
Le voyageur : Roger JOAKIM
Direction musicale : Claudio SCIMONE
Orchestre et Choeurs : Opéra Royal de Wallonie (Durations vary)

[Mark Thomas]

The Lone Ranger rides again

Hello, child of the 50s! You're showing your age, Mike. I made the "definition of culture" joke to some late-30s friends of ours a few months ago and was met with blank stares.

[mikehopf]

Sad but true, Mark! Even my joke about Barber in the White House fell on deaf ears!

[Alan Howe]

Since the opera dates from 1791 this Tonto will for once not be by his companion's side...

[mikehopf]

Hi..Howe! You missed out on a wonderful performance, Alan. The Beethovian finale was stunning!

[Alan Howe]

Just the finale, then? 

[eschiss1]

The butler did it?

[mikehopf]

Don't just take my word for it....

" The opera is remarkable for the power and consistency of its style; Gretry's writing emphasized the Revolutionary taste for advanced harmony, dynamic strength and a prominent role for the chorus, whose energy is unabated.
Guillaume Tell had 82 performances and was rearranged in 1828-9 to vie with Rossini' opera of the same name."

David Charlton
The New Groves Dictionary of Opera

[scottevan]

This delightful, spirited opera comique is archived at Radio Clasica de Espana:

http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/el-fantasma-de-la-opera/fantasma-opera-gretry-guillaume-tell-15-06-13/1875187/

A world apart from Rossini's Guillaume Tell (my favorite unsung opera by the much-performed Rossini) but a very fine work in its own right, permeated by French and Swiss folk song-like tunes. Fascinating to think of the context: a story of a medieval Swiss uprising, first performed in the shadows of post-Revolutionary Paris.

[Alan Howe]

Some exciting music in between the interminable spoken recitatives, I concede. But Beethovenian? Well, perhaps more like pre-Cherubini in the tradition that led to Berlioz, and to that extent quite fascinating. Thanks for the heads-up.