Guillaume Tell

Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) was the most celebrated Italian composer of his age, a master of both opera buffa and opera seria. Born in Pesaro, he penned nearly forty operas before the age of thirty-seven, including immortal works such as “Il barbiere di Siviglia,” “La Cenerentola,” and “Guillaume Tell.” “Adina, ovvero Il Califfo di Bagdad” (1818), though lesser-known, showcases all the melodic wit, rhythmic verve, and vocal brilliance that made Rossini the darling of Europe.

Rossini’s distinctive style, characterized by elegant melodies, rapid vocal passages, lively rhythms, and inventive orchestration, had a profound influence on nineteenth-century opera. His music combines theatrical energy with remarkable technical precision, allowing singers to display both virtuosity and expressive range. Even today, his operas remain staples of the international repertoire, admired for their wit, brilliance, and enduring freshness.

After retiring from the operatic stage at the height of his fame, he spent his later years in Paris as a revered cultural figure and gourmet.

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Guillaume Tell (William Tell) is a grand opéra in four acts by Gioachino Rossini, with a libretto by Étienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis (with contributions from others), first performed in Paris in 1829. Set in 13th-century Switzerland under Austrian rule, the opera recounts the Swiss cantons’ struggle for freedom. In the village of Bürglen, during the Shepherds’ Festival, William Tell lives with his wife Hedwige and his son Jemmy, whilst the young Arnold Melchtal is torn between his love for the Habsburg princess Mathilde and his duty to his oppressed homeland. The arrival of the tyrant Gessler and his guards shatters the idyll: Tell helps the shepherd Leuthold to escape following an act of rebellion, but Arnold’s father is arrested and killed. That night, on the heights of the Rütli, Tell, Walter Fürst and Arnold swear an oath alongside the representatives of the cantons to rise up against oppression.

In the third act, during a feast imposed by Gessler in Altdorf, Tell and Jemmy refuse to bow to the governor’s hat; Gessler forces Tell to shoot an arrow at an apple placed on his son’s head. Tell succeeds in the feat, but conceals a second arrow intended for the tyrant and is arrested. In the fourth act, whilst Arnold rallies the rebels and sets fire to the house as a signal of revolt, Tell, during a storm on the lake, manages to escape from Gessler’s boat and kills him with an arrow. The Confederates capture Altdorf; Mathilde joins the cause and Arnold leads the final assault. The opera concludes with general jubilation and a hymn to Swiss freedom, as the storm subsides and the sun shines upon the liberated homeland.

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