With "Guillaume Tell" Rossini finally offered Parisian audiences an original opera in French, though the public wouldn't be too excited by Rossini's experiment with the genre and the opera; coldly received at the premiere, not often performed after, never truly forgotten, but not a popular favorite, the work has only recently went through a veritable Renaissance on the wave of reappraisal belcanto has enjoyed for the past fifty years and it absolutely deserves our reevaluation. Into its historical panorama based on the play by Schiller Rossini wove pastoral elements, patriotic deeds and superbly drawn characters. He responded imaginatively to the challenge of creating a work for the French Opera without abandoning his Italian roots, integrating the belcanto lyricism and formal refinement of Italian opera (mostly evident in the lovers' music) with the declamatory immediacy and scenic splendor (particularly in the extensive choruses and ballets) of French opera. Carefully written, harmonically daring, purged of melodic ornamentation, orchestrally opulent, "Guillaume Tell" represents a final purification of Rossini's style, possibly his best creation.
When I first listened through it, I couldn't believe just how ideal it was: the whole opera is composed on one breath, there are virtually no self-borrowings, as Rossini usually did, moreover, each piece has its' logical place in the whole opera, making for a thoroughly delightful experience; the story is exciting and, though not without its' problems (Arnoldo and Matilde being an archetypal pair of lovers), is believable; even running at four hours, the work never grows boring, on the contrary, I found myself almost hoping that something less than charming would pop out, but no, the composer presents us with inspiration on every corner. In short, it's a crowning achievement of Rossini's career. But let us pass onto the music itself.
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