Prom 2: Saturday, 16th July at 6.30 p.m. (William Tell)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Presented by Sean Rafferty

Antonio Pappano comes to the Proms with his Orchestra and Chorus of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, Rome, for a rare performance of Rossini's grandest of operas about the legendary founding fathers of Switzerland and the hero who shoots an apple from his son's head. Michele Pertusi takes the title role and the character of Arnold, one of Rossini's most demanding tenor parts, (complete with numerous high Cs), is sung by the American tenor John Osborn.

Rossini: William Tell

William Tell ...... Michele Pertusi (baritone)
Arnold Melchthal ...... John Osborn (tenor)
Walter Furst ...... Matthew Rose (bass)
Melchthal ...... Frédéric Caton (bass)
Jemmy ...... Elena Xanthoudakis (soprano)
Gesler ...... Nicolas Courjal (bass)
Rodolphe ...... Carlo Bosi (tenor)
Ruodi ...... Celso Albelo (tenor)
Leuthold ...... Mark Stone (baritone)
Mathilde ...... Malyn Byström (soprano)
Hedwige ...... Patricia Bardon (mezzo-soprano)
Huntsman ...... Davide Malvestio (bass)

Orchestra and Chorus of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, Rome
Antonio Pappano (conductor).

[Mr Pee]

16th February? Either I missed it or there's a heck of a wait between Proms 1 and 2!!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

[Ravensbourne]

Either I missed it or there's a heck of a wait between Proms 1 and 2!!

Now it's been shortened to a mere 366 days.

[bluestateprommer]

Some light reading from the Telegraph, about William Tell and Pappano:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/proms/8620923/Antonio-Pappano-Its-more-than-just-the-Lone-Ranger-tune.html

It would be kind of cool if anyone in the US could stage this, which really means only one place: the Metropolitan Opera. If they can stage Armida and Le Comte d'Ory, then....

Of course, the major question, if the Met were to stage this at some time, would they be able to get Juan Diego Florez for the lead tenor part?

PS: Podcast from The Independent featuring Pappano, with a tie in to WT (natch):

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/independent-classical-podcast-antonio-pappano-2309125.html

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Now it's been shortened to a mere 366 days.

Are you all happy now?

[Chris Newman]

It would be kind of cool if anyone in the US could stage this, which really means only one place: the Metropolitan Opera. If they can stage Armida and Le Comte d'Ory, then....

Of course, the major question, if the Met were to stage this at some time, would they be able to get Juan Diego Florez for the lead tenor part?

I have never heard this opera before and currently am nearing the end of Act 1 of the Prom performance. My own reaction to JDF singing this role would be wait a few more years based on hearing John Osborn's very respectable go in London. JDF's voice is still growing and needs some careful nurturing. Osborn has a lot more heft in his voice at present.

I keep hearing familiar things: first a bit that Verdi stole for Rigoletto and then rather less surprisingly a number from Britten's Matinees Musicales. I am wondering when we will get the bit that Andy Stewart used to sing.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've never been a fan of Rossini operas, but this one is so much more substantial (and I don't just mean in length).

[Chris Newman]

Hi Eine Alpensinfonie,

WOW!! I agree. So much more mature than the Rossini of the Barber and Cinderella. It looked so far ahead, way beyond the confectionary of Bellini and Donizetti to to the meat of Verdi. And as mentioned in the interval talks Berlioz ridiculed Rossini but I defy Hector's ghost to deny that he was influenced by that the closing scene in works like the Damnation of Faust and Romeo and Juliet.

What a discovery that tenor: John Osborn. The cst were all great. And what an orchestra and chorus!!

Must be at the ROH soon.

I wish I had gone but would have missed my last train home.

[BBMmk2]

I couldnt hear the last half hour! I thought it a marvelous production! All artists were on top form! What else can I say!!

[french frank]

Some light reading from the Telegraph, about William Tell and Pappano:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/m...nger-tune.html

So it's all down to Pappano's enthusiasm for the work that we have this opportunity to hear it. I liked the quote:

"And in many ways Rossini is more subtle than Verdi, at least in his younger days. The part-writing in Rossini is so subtle, which is something people in those days associated with Mozart. When he was a young man Rossini was known as Il Tedeschino, the little German. [...] People think of Rossini as this easy-going composer, cheerfully swapping arias from comedies to tragedies and vice versa, but they would be amazed if they listen to this piece. He really summons up something huge, and sustains it over a vast time-span. For me there’s really something superhuman about this piece."

Thank goodness for enthusiasm!

[aeolium]

I thought it was wonderful to hear the whole work, and it was a superb performance - the real heroes being Pappano and the Orchestra of the Academy of Santa Cecilia. Rossini seemed able to sustain inspiration over long passages of continuous music, and Pappano and the orchestra brought out the delicacy and power of the writing. Pappano's interval talk was also illuminating, about how he is keen to preserve the Italianate quality of the Santa Cecilia orchestra, and I think this really came across in the performance.

A great evening and for me a performance to listen to again.

[pilamenon]

Listened to most of it in the car (but managed to miss the Lone Ranger ). I also enjoyed it very much, though would not go as far as almost everyone else seems to be in hailing it as Rossini's masterpiece. The lengthy, rather four-square passages of choral interjection became wearying on this ear, and there don't seem to be any truly gorgeous arias, but it was undoubtedly very exciting in places.

The Radio 3 presentation was sickeningly over the top, and had been much better the night before.

[Ferretfancy]

I only had the chance to hear part of it on FM, and thought that the sound balance was terrible, with the worst sort of RAH boom and thinly recorded distant soloists. This was listening on wide ranging equipment. Nowadays the engineering at the hall is no longer done by experienced old hands from the BBC, but is contracted out, with only the occasional familiar face to be seen, people who now find themselves freelancing in their old jobs. It seems to me that much accumulated experience must have been lost in dealing with this difficult acoustic, and if the Rossini broadcast is going to be typical of this season's efforts, we're in for a rough ride!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

...(but managed to miss the Lone Ranger )...

The irony of this Lone Ranger connection was that on the TV show, it was only the fanfare and coda that were generally heard. The diddle-um-diddle-um-diddle-um-pah-pah bit was reserved for the ITV "William Tell" series with words set to it.