Join us for what has been the most talked-about opera production of 2015: Italian director Damiano Michieletto's update of Rossini's William Tell, in which the classic tale of the 14th-century Swiss hero is set amid the Balkan conflict of the 1990s.
The Royal Opera House production drew strong reactions when it premiered June 29, largely because of a third-act rape scene with nudity. The opera house issued an age restriction to movie theater audiences soon afterwards and explained that Michieletto's intent is to "convey the horrible reality of warfare."
Radio audiences, of course, will have a very different experience of the production, which features baritone Gerald Finley in the title role, tenor John Osborn as Arnold Melcthal, and soprano Malin Bayström as Mathilde, in a performance led by conductor Antonio Pappano.
Cast:
William Tell: Gerald Finley (baritone)
Hedwige: Enkelejda Shkosa (mezzo-soprano)
Jemmy: Sofia Fomina (soprano)
Mathilde: Malin Byström (soprano)
Arnold Melcthal: John Osborn (tenor)
Melcthal: Eric Halfvarson (bass)
Gesler: Nicolas Courjal (bass)
Walter Furst: Alexander Vinogradov (bass)
Ruodi: Ji Hyun Kim (tenor)
Leuthold: Samuel Dale Johnson (bass)
Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus
Antonio Pappano, conductor
