This is the first of a series of weekly stories highlighting a PROM performance – so please come back for these weekly updates and follow us on Twitter and Facebook where you will also be able to find them.
Antonio Pappano returns to the Royal Albert Hall with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, Rome and a stellar cast for a rare revival of Rossini's final opera: William Tell – the magnum opus about the legendary founding fathers of Switzerland and the hero who shoots an apple from his son's head.
The opera (sung in French) will be broadcast live on Saturday 16 July on BBC Radio 3 from 6:30pm. The overture is a familiar concert piece, yet a full performance of the piece is harder to come by. Raising the roof with large-scale choral ensembles that look forward to Verdi and Wagner, the composer also makes extreme demands on his soloists.
Antonio Pappano is well represented in the Opus Arte catalogue. His recording of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and La Traviata (featuring René Fleming) are both available on DVD and Blu-ray, and have received great reviews. Also available on the Opus Arte DVD label is the La Scala, Milan production of William Tell, together with a selection of other Rossini operas. A new recording of William Tell conducted by Antonio Pappano with the Academy of Santa Cecilia will be released on the EMI Classical label this month too.
Mozart – Le nozze di Figaro – Royal Opera House
OA 0990 D (DVD) / OA BD7033D (Blu-ray)
Verdi – La Traviata – Royal Opera House
OA 1040 D (DVD) / OA BD7076 D (Blu-ray)
Rossini – William Tell – La Scala, Milan
OA LS3002 D (DVD)
Rossini – Il Viaggio a Reims – Chatelet, Paris
OA 0967 D (DVD)
Rossini – La Cenerentola – Glyndebourne
OA 0944 D (DVD) / OA BD7008 D (Blu-ray)
Rossini – La Donna del Lago – La Scala, Milan
OA LS3009 D (DVD)
Rossini – La Gazzetta – Liceu, Barcelona
OA 0953 D (DVD) / OA BD7034 D (Blu-ray)
Rossini – La pietra del paragone – Real Madrid
OA 0987 D (DVD)
Rossini – La Scala di Seta – Svizzera Italiana
OA F4023 D (DVD)
Saturday 16 July - 6.30pm – c. 10.55pm - Royal Albert Hall
Rossini - William Tell (180 mins) - concert performance; sung in French.
- Michele Pertusi baritone (William Tell)
- John Osborn tenor (Arnold Melchthal)
- Matthew Rose bass (Walter Furst)
- Frédéric Caton bass (Melchthal)
- Elena Xanthoudakis soprano (Jemmy)
- Nicolas Courjal bass (Gesler)
- Carlo Bosi tenor (Rodolphe)
- Celso Albelo tenor (Ruodi)
- Mark Stone baritone (Leuthold)
- Malyn Byström soprano (Mathilde)
- Patricia Bardon mezzo-soprano (Hedwige)
- Davide Malvestio bass (Huntsman)
- Orchestra and Chorus of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, Rome
- Antonio Pappano conductor