Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Overture
2. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. � il ciel sereno
3. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. Oh! Quale alta d'intorno
4. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. Contro l'ardor del giorno
5. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. Il mio giuro, egli disse!
6. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. T'arresta!... (Contranttempo fatal!)
7. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. Il sol che intorno splende
8. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. Delle antiche virt�
9. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. Cinto il crine di bei fiori
10. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. Ecco col�, tremante
11. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. Nume pietoso, dio di bont�!
12. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 1. Ci� ch'ei fece l'oserebbe

Disc 2:

1. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. Qual silvestre metro intorno
2. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. S'allontanano alfine! Io sperai rivederlo? Selva opaca
3. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. Se il mio giunger t'oltraggia
4. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. Tutto apprendi, o sventurato
5. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. Alcun vien? Separiamoci
6. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. Allor che scorre de' forti il sangue
7. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. Troncar suoi d� quell'empio ardiva
8. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. La notte, a' voti nostri amica
9. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. Onore? Onore al cor del forte
10. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. Guglielmo sol per te
11. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 2. Giuriam, giuriam pei nostri danni

Disc 3:

1. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 3. Gloria al poter supremo, gloria a Gessler
2. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 3. La tua danza s� leggera & Ballet
3. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 3. Inchinati, superbo
4. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 3. Quel fasto m'offende
5. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 3. Siccome abile arciero
6. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 3. Ti benedico, figlio mio, piangendo
7. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 3. Resta immobile
8. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 3. In nome dei sovrano
9. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 4. Non mi lasciare, o speme di vendetta? O muto asil del pianto
10. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 4. Corriam, voliam, s'affretti lo scempio
11. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 4. Resta omai! Ah, ti perde il duolo
12. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 4. Tu che l'appoggio del debol sei
13. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 4. Io lo vidi, io lo vidi!
14. Guillaume Tell (William Tell), opera: Act 4. Non salda fia l'impresa? Tutto cangia, il ciel si abbella

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #243564 in Music
• Released on: 2006-10-10
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .39 pounds

Album Description
Rossini had already written dozens of successful operas and was wealthy by the time he decided to retire from the stage in the late 1820s. By now he was living the good life in Paris, and though the Opéra offered him a contract for five operas at unheard-of fees, he turned them down. Like many opera composers who have wished to be remembered for something more serious and substantial than their popular comedies, Rossini determined to write a grand finale to his career on a lofty subject derived from Friedrich Schiller’s dramatic German version of the story Wilhelm Tell (1804). He worked long and meticulously on the opera, which had its premiere August 3, 1829 to a lukewarm Parisian reception that grew slowly more enthusiastic upon repeated hearings. Two years later, Guillaume Tell was first staged in Italy under its Italian title, and for many decades was far more often heard in Italian, with numerous cuts because of its considerable length. Not until the 196! 0s did the original full-length French version begin to be favored again, in consequence of the triumph of the Authenticism Movement in the classical music world. Many of the finest historic recordings, however, are of the streamlined Italian version, as in this exciting live performance from Naples in 1965. This is one of the rare Italian Romantic operas to have a baritone hero, and Gianciacomo Guelfi, a singer with a huge voice, is heroic in the part. Turkish soprano Leyla Gencer, often compared for dramatic power to Maria Callas, has long been a favorite of vocal collectors as she never had a major recording contract so can only be heard in live performances.