Uploaded May 2020 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
#GioacchinoRossini#WilliamTellOverture#TESEO#DoubleBass
William Tell is the last opera composed by Gioacchino Rossini.
According to legend, William Tell was born and lived in Bürglen in the Canton of Uri, close to the San Gottardo massif. Tell, father of the family, hunter skilled in the use of the crossbow, on 18 November 1307 he went to the regional capital, Altdorf. As he passed the public square, he ignored the imperial hat fixed on top of an auction, a few months earlier, by the bailiff Albrecht Gessler, the local administrator of the Habsburgs. The hat, symbol of imperial authority, was absolutely to be revered by anyone who passed by. Those who did not bow down risked the confiscation of property or even death. Since Tell had not revered his hat, he found himself in trouble. The following day he was mentioned in the square; before everyone he had to justify his action.
In exchange for his life, the bailiff Gessler imposed on him the proof of the apple which, placed on the head of his son Gualtierino, should have been centered by the arrow of his crossbow. The test succeeded in Tell but in case something went wrong, William had hidden a second arrow under his jacket, ready for the tyrant. This cost Tell his freedom: he was arrested and taken by boat to the prison of Küssnacht. Suddenly a storm broke out on Lake Lucerne and his jailers freed Tell, a skilled helmsman, to get help. Arriving near the shore, halfway between Altdorf and Brunnen, Tell jumped from the boat onto the shore and, with a mighty push, sent the boat back out to sea. On the third day, at Küssnacht, hidden behind a tree on the sides of the "Via cava" which leads from Gotthard to Zurich, Tell took his revenge by killing Gessler.
According to tradition, the liberation of the original Switzerland took place on 1 August 1308. The people, having learned of the deeds of Tell, rose up besieging the castles and chasing the bailiffs forever from their lands. In addition, the archer would have participated in the battle of Morgarten alongside the Confederates (Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden), which ended with the victory of the latter against the Habsburgs in 1315. William Tell lived in respect and admiration of the people until the summer of 1354, when, due to a storm, the Swiss hero sacrificed his life to help a child dragged by the Schächen torrent.
#GioacchinoRossini#WilliamTellOverture#TESEO#DoubleBass
William Tell is the last opera composed by Gioacchino Rossini.
According to legend, William Tell was born and lived in Bürglen in the Canton of Uri, close to the San Gottardo massif. Tell, father of the family, hunter skilled in the use of the crossbow, on 18 November 1307 he went to the regional capital, Altdorf. As he passed the public square, he ignored the imperial hat fixed on top of an auction, a few months earlier, by the bailiff Albrecht Gessler, the local administrator of the Habsburgs. The hat, symbol of imperial authority, was absolutely to be revered by anyone who passed by. Those who did not bow down risked the confiscation of property or even death. Since Tell had not revered his hat, he found himself in trouble. The following day he was mentioned in the square; before everyone he had to justify his action.
In exchange for his life, the bailiff Gessler imposed on him the proof of the apple which, placed on the head of his son Gualtierino, should have been centered by the arrow of his crossbow. The test succeeded in Tell but in case something went wrong, William had hidden a second arrow under his jacket, ready for the tyrant. This cost Tell his freedom: he was arrested and taken by boat to the prison of Küssnacht. Suddenly a storm broke out on Lake Lucerne and his jailers freed Tell, a skilled helmsman, to get help. Arriving near the shore, halfway between Altdorf and Brunnen, Tell jumped from the boat onto the shore and, with a mighty push, sent the boat back out to sea. On the third day, at Küssnacht, hidden behind a tree on the sides of the "Via cava" which leads from Gotthard to Zurich, Tell took his revenge by killing Gessler.
According to tradition, the liberation of the original Switzerland took place on 1 August 1308. The people, having learned of the deeds of Tell, rose up besieging the castles and chasing the bailiffs forever from their lands. In addition, the archer would have participated in the battle of Morgarten alongside the Confederates (Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden), which ended with the victory of the latter against the Habsburgs in 1315. William Tell lived in respect and admiration of the people until the summer of 1354, when, due to a storm, the Swiss hero sacrificed his life to help a child dragged by the Schächen torrent.
