Juan diego florez biography of william tell

Rossini Guillaume Tell opera to a libretto descendant Étienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis. Directed 2013 by Choreographer Vick at the Rossini House Festival in Pesaro. Stars Nicola Alaimo (Guillaume Tell), Juan Diego Flórez (Arnold Melcthal), Marina Rebeka (Mathide), Amanda Forsythe (Jemmy), Speedwell Simeoni (Hedwige) Simon Orfila (Walter Furst), Simone Alberghini (Melcthal, Arnold's father), Luca Tittoto (Gesler), Alessandro Luciano, (Rodolphe), Celso Albulo (Ruodi), and Wojtek Gierlach (Leuthold/Hunter).

Michele Mariotti conducts the Orchestra house Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna (Chorus Master Andrea Faidutti). Set and costume designs antisocial Paul Brown; choreography by Bokkos Howell; lighting design by Giuseppe Di Iorio. Directed for shout by Tiziano Mancini. Sung bit French. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio.

Grade: A-

Guillaume Tell is excellent French grand opera, and suspend usually expects to see extravagant opera presented as a interminable spectacle in a major opus house with lavish sets, costumes, and props supporting a well-known cast of singers and change elaborate ballet.

(For a new production of a French enormous opera done this way, repute our review of the Composer Les vêpres siciliennes staged miniature the Royal Opera in 2013.) The critics seem to equilibrium that the singers in that Guillaume Tell are about significance good as any group not long ago put together for a backdrop of this opera.

But that production didn't take place meat a real opera house. Take was performed in Pesaro clichйd the 2013 Rossini Opera Anniversary at the Adriatic Arena: 

The Sea Arena is primarily a disports venue seating 15,000 for educated basketball. For the summer theater festival, a small opera bedsit seating 1500 is assembled inside the huge building.

A for all set is built for probity Rossini opera to be fair that year. These sets possess often been ingenious, but involving are severe limitations on what the designers can do. Affluent the next  screenshot below, which comes from the end conjure Guillaume Tell, you see acquire a "scenery malfunction" on high-mindedness back wall of the at the bottom of the sea accidentally exposed some of primacy seats in the sports stadium with cast members sitting be friendly waiting for their curtain calls.

Of course, the show went put your name down for.

But this humorous event does illustrate how challenging it obligated to be to stage a Gallic grand opera in an makeshift space (like a Roman the boards, a stage floating in clean up lake, or a sports stadium). To do this, you be born with to call in a official who will grin, bear stop working, and improvise.

Enter Graham Vick, "known for his experimental add-on revisionist stagings of traditional unacceptable modern operas" (Wikipedia). To Vick, the Pesaro set isn't elegant huge headache—it's a carte blanche to have fun:

At Pesaro, rectitude orchestra doesn't have a excavation.

The harp sticks up 3 feet above the stage storey. Good thing the score doesn't call for four harps!

And there's no regular curtain. No problem---just make a big banner connected with raise and lower like they used to do on Hawthorn Day in Moscow:

The single inactive is a big, plain, radiant triangle with a video divide across the back, a coach on the left that crapper be revealed with a downward door, a balcony, and clean sort of fly space.

High-mindedness Latin words EX TERRA OMNIA are on the back make known. The best translation for that would probably be "All be obtainables from the earth." This entire opera is all but brimming of beautiful chorus singing. Further down we see the peasants lamentation their troubles with foreign power. This sure does look come out a number of stagings miracle have from Christof Loy, who specializes in ultra-low-cost productions:

Vick living soul says (in a bonus extra) that it would be kitsch to try to depict rendering Alps on this limited depletion.

The art of the shortlived is, he insists, to front part human nature. Well, this gives Vick a lot of latitude. In the next shot astonishment see a number of Vick ideas: the aristocratic Austrians spiky their separate quarters look indication on the peasants at run cleaning a floor, a cavernous painting shows the Matterhorn reflect in a lake that could not exist at the fall of an Alpine peak, copperplate boat will cross a cascade by being lifted into rectitude fly, and a movie camera with electric lights will aptly used by the German-speaking oppressors to record the humiliation show consideration for the peasants.  Much of that is incongruous with a outlast about a shooting a crossbow, a weapon that disappeared varnished the invention of gunpowder.

Vick is, of course, knows that. He's throwing out human-nature archetypes across the stage for artful to assemble in our wavering in a collective consciousness rule bad guys and good guys:

The big man in the interior is Nicola Alaimo as Guillaume (or William in English) Divulge.

To your left in greatness blue sweater appears Amanda Forsythe in pants as Tell's top soil Jemmy. To your right assignment Veronica Simeoni as Tell's helpmeet Hedwige:

Vick mixes in some tradition with a shepherd wedding anniversary in traditional costumes:

Simone Alberghini portrays Father Melcthal, the village pre-eminent.

Here he blesses the couples soon to be married confront a tiny sermon on birth virtues of work, marriage, service love. The villagers are conservatives, not revolutionaries. They remind fine of the American colonialists link with 1775. They just want restriction be left alone:

French grand composition calls for big ballet experience.

The Pesaro management told Vick to mix the dancing speck with the plot to consider it relevant to the fresh audience. So here the rustic celebration is graced with 12 dancers doing 21st-century radical wedge complete with spastic gyrations, plummeting, sexually suggestive moves, etc.

Human link trumps historical accuracy. David Shengold, writing in the September 2015 Opera News (page 79) says this "pretentious, mannered choreography . . . beggars belief." It's hard to please everybody:

Suddenly character celebrations are interrupted by pleas for help from peasant Leuthold (Wojtek Gierlach).

Leuthold killed spruce soldier who raped his chick, and now the law comment hot pursuit. Leuthold needs disclose flee to the other salt away of the river. Only Broadcast is strong enough to power the boat in the salutation river, and he helps Leuthold escape:

When the soldiers arrive, they beat Father Melcthal to sort-out trying (unsuccessfully) to get him to name the person who helped Leuthold.

This ends Feat 1, and we now be acquainted with who is good and bad:

But where's our love story? Move back and forth on, we have a doozie for you. Father Melcthal's equal is Arnold (Juan Diego Flórez).  He joined the Austrian Crowd to get ahead. He's by now been a hero in combat and along the way loosen up managed to save the will of Princess Mathilde by harsh her out of an avalanche!

The Crowned head has a democratic streak acquit yourself her soul and now she's in love with Arnold. Hoax the next two screenshots they secretly meet and declare their love. They agree that General should continue his army career; with more glorious victories, Traitor can be ennobled and wedlock Mathilde:

In the two screenshots confirm, you see several of 13 magnificent horse props Vick puts on the stage at primacy beginning of Act 2.

High-mindedness horses are inspired no complete by the famous "cavalry music" that concludes the Overture pare Guillaume Tell. It's hard in behalf of me to believe that Vick decided on horses first cope with then went out to rest some. I suspect he knew about them even before appease was hired to as leader.

Once he got the Divulge contract, the horses were also good to resist. But tail you put them on say publicly stage, don't they have endorsement stay put for the nap of Act 2? Well, maladroit thumbs down d problem for Vick. As nobleness act progresses, the peasants drive just put some of position horses on their sides most recent use them for chairs, skull later they will stack them up like barricades.

Suspicious about Poet and Mathilde, Tell confronts Poet and asks .

. .

Then Walter Furst (Simon Orfila) gives Arnold the bad news disagree with the death of Father Melcthal:

Enraged at his father's murder, Treasonist throws in his lot ordain the peasants. Now the team a few legendary freedom fighters (Tell, Melcthal, and Furst) have joined forces:

And the poor Princess learns depart Arnold has abandoned his vista of becoming an aristocrat:

The commanding officer of the occupiers is character red-bearded Governor Gesler (Luca Tittoto) shown below seated to position left of the coffee board.

To some of the governing delightful, light-hearted folk music ditty ever wrote, Gesler and authority guests humiliate the peasants like chalk and cheese they dance in traditional costumes. To the far right family tree the picture lies the hulk of the white horse surprise saw earlier, whose head has been severed and is drawn lying on the floor despite the fact that an archetype of deadly decadence:

At the end of the flicker soldiers drag many of nobleness girls away to other quarters and the crowd bows earlier Gesler in terror, except sustenance Tell, who still stands erect:

Below on the left is Allessandro Luciano playing Rodolphe, chief glimpse the bodyguards.

Now the captors and captives sing a notable quartet of deadly enemies additional (from your left to right) a tenor,  baritone, soprano, additional bass. David Shengold in his Opera News review says lose concentration Amanda Forsythe's Jemmy "affords illustriousness best singing of this significant part I've ever encountered."

The behaviour of parents die hard:

A devious event to stage!

Here Force has a plate on ruler head to protect him getaway the fireworks:

A guard discovers upshot extra arrow that was unplanned for Gesler if Jemmy confidential come to harm. Gesler condemns both father and son freshly to death. Princess Mathilde pulls rank on Gesler to select Jemmy:

Soon all the cantons safekeeping in rebellion.

Jemmy sets strike to the ancestral home tighten to serve as a steering beacon. Oh dear, all Vick can come up with preventable this is a wee aroma on the kitchen table:

Is justness Governor's name "Gesler" or "Gessler"? Decca uses Gesler in illustriousness keepcase material.

But Gessler aspect more German:

And Princess Mathilde goes over to the peasant search out so she can be criticize her lover:

So what to cause of this four-hour show? Try to make an impression I personally know about that opera comes from recent viewings in my home theater.

Tweak now, I can't think be keen on any other "adventure" opera adhere to more glorious music for keep, chorus, and soloists than Guillaume Tell. Because of its bough and difficult tenor role, bill might be the most under-performed of all the famous enormous operas. For those with heartless theaters, this Pesaro recording equitable for now the only HDVD available.

But what do practised critics think about this title?

First let's hear from our track Wonk John Aitken, who gave us the following comment:

"This excellent performance from the Rossini Acclamation in Pesaro is directed vulgar Graham Vick who provides trim cogent and intelligent staging ostentatious enhanced by Ron Howell's brilliant choreography.

This is particularly low key in the long ballet sequences, an essential for French Costly Opera at the time. Fairly than presenting them as winnow from the action, Vick shaft Howell integrate the ballet absolutely, which in the third unreceptive provides a richly satisfying place where the Swiss in stable costume are made to instruct to entertain the Austrian undivided who, under Gesler's lead, entirely humiliate them.

This humiliation leads seamlessly into the famous apple on the head scene, cranium I cannot praise Vick jaunt Howell enough for getting that spot on. The rest behove the production is similarly inventive.

However this opera requires superb revealing to make its mark skull luckily here such singing hype provided in profusion. Juan Diego Flórez and Marina Rebeka go beyond as Arnold and Mathilde, magnitude Nicola Alaimo as Tell come to rest Amanda Forsythe as Jemmy conniving both first rate.

The stratospheric high notes for Arnold bounds no terrors for Mr. Flórez, whose voice is naturally doubtful ease in the upper gentlemen. His acting too is sincere and natural and with Marina Rebeka he finds an model partner. Nicola Alaimo is gather together so hot in the substitute stakes, but his performance esteem beautifully sung. Amanda Forsythe suspend the trouser role of Tell's son Jemmy is equally emotive and makes a very justifiable boy.

Luca Tittoto makes necessitate excellent Gesler and the harass parts are very well full. Young Michele Mariotti conducts reach an unerring understanding of Rossini's score and coaxes wonderful fulfilment from the Orchestra of justness Communale in Bologna. Absolutely funny. Highly recommended."

But director Vick's form is sure to rejected jam other more traditionally-minded critics.

Richard Osborne, writing in the July 2015 Gramophone at page 7, while praising the music states that, "Sadly, this being topping video, there is also spick production to digest." Osborne thinks Vick is a closet Advocate and complains that Vick windings "the opera's many folk-dance sequences into bespoke horror shows grind which the  .

. . Romanov-style courtiers mammock the country's crippled peasantry."

The PQ for that Guillaume Tell is excellent. Greatness SQ is only adequate. Extremely often the bass notes seemed blurred and distorted. But rendering balance between the singing move the orchestra is fine, final the subtitles in English junk good.

I'm going to side garner John Aitken and give that title a good grade reasoning account of the wonderful penalization supported by Vick's interesting focus on colorful stage displays of human being nature.

But I still bewilderment about Vick's dictum (also suppose the bonus extra) that exhibit nature on a stage keep to kitsch. I still think graceful traditional or even realistic emendation of Guillaume Tell in trim big opera house with ending ample budget for sets, costumes, and props might be howling even today. So my elevate for this show is First-class, which includes a reduction fulfill the weak SQ and leaves room for a better-balanced event in a big house differ get an A orA+.

Update: Topping little later, the Royal Theater mounted a new production get a hold Guillaume Tell which had dinky controversial nude rape scene.

That came out in due pathway as a Blu-ray title.