Customer Reviews

Rossini - Guglielmo Tell (William Tell) / Milnes, Pavarotti, Freni, Ghiaurov, D. Jones, E. Connell, van Allan, NPO, Chailly

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

William Tell is Rossini's last opera, and this Romantic heroic interpretation of Schiller's epic of Wilhelm Tell among his best works. Rossini composed this opera in Paris. The original libretto was written in French, for a French audience, chorus. Parisians by reputation had more refined musical technique and tastes than their Italian counterparts and Rossini applied the best of Italian opera technique, which he had mastered and more refined and complex French musical staging which he studied and adapted during his years in Paris.

One problem with this interpretation is that the text is in Italian, not in French. The crisp staccato sounds of Italian don't match the music as well as the smoother sounds of French do. The bond between language and music seems especially significant for Rossini's opera because he wrote his score to fit with words, leaving little room anywhere for improvisation by the singers or added or subtracted sounds or syllables by translators.

Riccardo Chailly's interpretation of this music is fresh and lively, if inconsistent in places. It's a pleasure to listen to this if you want a fresh take on Rossini. The star studded cast, not all in their prime, follow the conductors lead with honest, innovative performances and adept singing. If you want a stronger, perhaps more authentic grasp of the music and the story in Italian, Philips issued a recording of Riccardo Muti conducting a first rate ensemble performance in Italian at la Scala.

If don't already have Guillaume Tell in French, its original language, and want a more definitive version before trying the more experimental, please consider EMI Classics' edition conducted by Lamberto Gardelli also with a first rate ensemble cast.

All four of the principals are marvelous in this, Rossini's final opera. Milnes is a very convincing Tell in this performance and is in magnificent voice (even interpolating a stupendous High A in his aria "Resta Immobile"), turning in a heartfelt performance indeed. Pavarotti was still riding the crest of his glorious prime when this recording was made and could still be justifiably dubbed "King of the High C's". His Arnoldo is both beautifully and excitingly sung. "O Muto Asil" and "Corriam, Vorriam" will literally have the listener riveted. The High C's and C sharps Pavarotti pulls off here are absolutely breathtaking. One can easily understand why he dubbed this his finest studio recorded performance and what all the fuss was about concerning this great Tenor. Mirella Freni is a very beautifully sung youthful sounding Mathilde. Ghiaurov's Kessler is appropriately evil sounding and the great Bulgarian Bass is in excellent voice here, but I do agree with a previous reviewer who stated that it sounds as if they recorded Ghiaurov in another room. Chailly's conducting on this recording is simply put, flawless. The sound on the recording is wonderful. This is definitely THE recording to own if one wants to hear what REAL vocal pyro-techniques are all about. This is the finest recording of Guigliemo Tell this reviewer has ever had the priveledge to hear. This performance should be an absolute MUST for every operaphile's collection. BUY THIS RECORDING! You will definitely be ecstatic that you did.

As soon as I first heard this recording it became one of my favorites. Wonderful performances all around. We can discuss Italian vs. French, conducting, who recorded what better - but - there is something to be said for just plain glorious singing of a truly remarkable score. The 2nd act alone is worth the price of admission. Soprano aria to soprano/tenor duet to male trio and male finale, all stupendous and a great ride. I was at a concert some years ago at which the overture was played. Imagine my surprise when the conductor (a famous one who will remain anonymous here) announced from the podium that the overture deserves it's popularity, but the rest of the opera was boring. Had he ever heard it? If you like exciting music that sweeps you along you can't do much better than this.

You wouldn't think that Milnes would be a great Tell. The part is low and the singer is happiest on high. Yet Milnes is outstanding in this bass-baritone role. He has everything, a brilliant voice with superlative musicianship and emotional commitment. This recording will be his testament after his Verdi and Puccini roles have been eclipsed.

Milnes is better than Bacquier who should have a better tessitura fit. In the theater you might like Zancanaro's voice better than Milnes' but on their respective records Milnes is clearly better. Milnes is even better than Giuseppi Teddei who is quite wonderful on the old Cetra recording.

Pavarotti is at his peak. The part of Arnold is sometimes considered a killer part. Pavarotti makes it sound easy. No one else has the squillo and the beauty of tone in this part. Merritt is famous in this part and unlike Pavarotti actually does it in the theater but his real fach is in the Nozzari roles where he can show off his low notes. He simply is no match for Pavarotti in this part. Gedda has also recorded this role and of course he also sang it in the theater. Gedda's voice is somewhat higher than Pavarotti's but its a size smaller. Arnold is a heroic part unlike almost all the other Rossini tenor parts. Its more like Manrico. The classic Arnold was Esclais. More recently Fillipeschi was a famous Arnold. Pavarotti isn't a real heroic tenor but he is much smoother and more musical than either of those two estimable gentlemen.

Freni is very fine - rather better than Studer who is also quite good. The best Mathilde I've ever heard was VanNess - but she hasn't recorded it.

The sound of this set is spectacular and it isn't conducted by Muti - another plus.

The famous basses however don't make much impression. Ghuarov is perhaps all round finest bass of the century but here he sounds ordinary. Tomlinson has maybe the biggest bass voice I've ever heard but the recording studio robs him of that distnction and reveals an ordinary timbre. Tozzi and Corena on Cetra shows that it it is possible for a bass to be memorable in this show.

A special word must go to Suarez the fisherman. He of course has astounding high C's. He was the Arturo in San Francisco for Sill's last Puritani. He was a hoot. Everytime it went for a high note he would stop and point up at the roof. I wasn't there but apparently on oppening night without telling anyone he decided to attempt the 'Palermo E' - the famous E above high C that Rubini interpolated in Palermo. He missed. He let out a strangled gargle that rattled Sills who missed her entrance, the courus got off and the opera ended in a musical shambles. The opera world hasn't been seeing a lot of him lately. This recording is a wonderful momento of this unwise tenor. He was in a sense the tenor's tenor.

This recording makes me think so. This recording shows how incredibly excellent this music is. This must be Rossini's most unique work. I love his other works, but all his comic operas sound the same to me and all his serious ones sound the same too. But this serious opera sounds like no other. The voices on this recording are also incredibly excellent. To have a good production of Wm. Tell God must provide the tenor. And He did in Pavarotti. Trully glorious. Freni and Milnes are excellent too. Ghiarov sounds good, but it sounds as if he recorded his part from the back of a cave. What's the deal with this? Some argue that this recording is 2nd rate b/c it is in Italian, but I say the music is Italian and isn't Italian a more beautiful language than French? EMI's recording is also good, but when I listen to it the music just doesn't hit me the way it does on the London recording

"William Tell" is such a massive and uneven work that it is really hard to figure out how to review a particular recording. It probably comes down to a matter of personal taste.

I bought this recording on LPs way back when, and it thrilled me no end. It still does, and I make no apologies whatsoever. Sure, Pavarotti quickly (in my mind) wore out his welcome, but here he ardently gives his all in a role that demands both his range and his projection. Milnes was in top form here. It's such a shame that he ruined his instrument by trying to sing through physical difficulties a few years later.

I cannot believe that another reviewer questioned Freni's performance here. She is a marvel of musicianship. While she has never received the press of singers like Callas, L. Price, and Sutherland, I think she consistently shows a greater understanding of phrasing than any of these greats.

This is an expensive recording. And it is a bunch of music, much of which could be classified as somewhat ordinary. But if you want to hear some great singing, you cannot go wrong here.

I have both this and Gardelli's recording on EMI (in French). While I do prefer the sounds in French, I definitely much prefer this recording to the EMI one. I surprisingly prefer Pavarotti to Gedda, which is strange because I'm not a Pavarotti fan at all and I am a huge Gedda fan. Pavarotti nails this role with Italian romanticism, which works here. Gedda sings beautiful, but not with the luster with which Pavarotti nails the role. I will agree with those who said this is Pavarotti's best performance on disc. It is really something. Caballe (EMI) and Freni (here) are both fantastic. The interpretations are so different, I am glad I have both. I cannot select a favorite. What sets this set apart from the EMI in French is the conducting and the orchestral playing. Chailly guides the orchestra beautiful when required and downright fierce when required. Just listen to the ballet music between Chailly and Gardelli and argue with me. Overall, this recording is much more exciting than it's EMI counterpart....but I for one am so glad I have both.

This is a wonderful recording of a great work and I can add nothing to the foregoing reviews except that listening repeatedly to this recording brings to mind the visit that Rossini had with Beethoven where Beethoven reportedly said to Rossini to "give us more comedies" with the implication that Rossini was not capable of writing a first rate dramatic opera. My guess is that Beethoven would take the comment back if he heard a performance of this work which of course he could not have as he died just prior to its completion. An irony here is that there are, to my ears at least, numerous echoes of Fidelio in Tell in both the libretto and the score. Rescue, oppression, revolt in the plot, the intense romanticism of the score and various details in the scoring. I wonder if Beethoven's comment was ringing in Rossini's ears as he composed this great work. Of course we will never know but to me at least it is an intriguing question that might shed some light on the genesis of this great work.

This recording is worth 5 stars for Pavarotti's Arnoldo alone.
True that the opera is long - nearly 4 full hours. However, the music is incredibly beautiful, and the young Chailly managed to throw up all the drama there is in the music, if he hadn't quite succeeded in pulling the entire drama together.
Mirella Freni was young in this recording - the voice does resemble a bit Anna Netrebko's early Kirov days. Milnes, whether you like his voice or not, gave a good performance in this work, too.
If you do not have the patience to sit through 4 full hours of this work, it would do this recording full justice if you switch to those duets and arias where Arnoldo appears. The first major duet with Tell (Milnes) is a wonderful piece showing Pav's voice in the full glory of his prime. The second major duet is with Alice, sung by Freni is a girlish tinge, and though the voice hasn't matured into the full spinto as in her later years, the performance here is nonetheless top-notch. The last Act's big aria with the chorus is the often omitted war cry of Arnoldo, and really, apart from Pav, I could not imagine any other living tenor who could have the range, the prowess, the timbre and the musical flair to tackle this aria.
Pav is fully entitled to 'cross-over', given such a brilliant track record in opera singing. For 'crossing-overs' the other way round, it really isn't my cup of tea.

Chailly's William Tell is a forceful reading, particularly strong in the many ensembles, and splendidly recorded. Milnes makes a heroic Tell, always firm, and though Pavarotti has his moments of coarseness he sings the role of Arnoldo with glowing tone. Ghiaurov too is in splendid voice, while contributory characters are almost all well taken, with such a fine singer as John Tomlinson, for example, ripely resonant as Melchthal. The women singers too are impressive, with Mirella Freni as the heroine Matilde providing dramatic strength as well as sweetness. The recording, made in 1978 and 1979, comes out spectacularly, with the `Pas de six' banded into its proper Place in Act 1.