"Guillaume Tell" (William Tell or, in German, "Wilhelm Tell") was Rossini's
last opera, a grand and dazzling farewell to the stage that had built the
composer's undying reputation. The overture is structured in four clearly
distinct parts which make no borrowings from the themes of the work. It is,
in effect, a symphonic poem that begins with a tranquil Andante preceding
an Allegro which depicts, perhaps, a storm in the Swiss Alps, the setting
of the opera. The third section is devoted to the celebrated "ranz des
vaches", a Swiss cattlemen's call to the flocks which is played here on the
English horn. The final section, Allegro vivace, begins with a trumpet
fanfare that introduces the rousing march of the Swiss soldiers.
This recording of the "William Tell" Overture dates from 1975 and is part
of a special "overture" special directed by Herbert von Karajan and
produced with the Berlin Philharmonic for Unitel.
