Live Opera From The Met Tonight !

[mikey4444]

This week, its Rossini's "Guillaume Tell", a rare operatic event.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08jgxbg

I am one of the few people in Britain to see a live performance of "Guillaume Tell" when it was performed at Covent Garden in June 1990.

I seem to recall that while the famous arrow through an apple scene was very well done, it take rather a long time to get there !

[OldBather]

I think that it's rarely performed for two (maybe more) reasons mikey. Opera fans (of which I am one) seem to expect Rossini's operas to be comic,Of course he did write "serious" operas,such as this,and the wonderful Ermione.Add to this the fact that this is quite long,and the tenor part is set quite high,and you see some of the problems with staging it.

According to an anecdote, when an admirer told the composer that he had heard his opera the previous night, Rossini replied "What? The whole of it?"

[mikey4444]

lol Oldbather !

[Jackdaw33]

The only bit I know is the overture, the 'Lone Ranger' theme.

[mikey4444]

OldBather...."set quite high".....that is somewhat of an understatement !

[OldBather]

Indeed when the great tenor Nicolai Gedda dropped out of a performance once,the director of the production had to use 3 tenors for the run,to make sure that one tenor's voice wasn't ruined!

[mikey4444]

More recognisable tunes than I remember for 1990 OldBather !