William Tell, Rossini’s gift to America’s 250th to be performed by Boston Lyric Opera

Rossini didn’t compose William Tell to celebrate the American Revolution. But what could be more fitting than having this opera which celebrate resistance, the courage of ordinary people, and the joy of liberty performed in Boston? Well, Boston Lyric Opera is doing exactly that! One can almost imagine Paul Revere galloping through the streets to the “Lone Ranger” theme.

Any organization mounting William Tell faces daunting challenges. The opera requires incredibly talented and skillful singers, an orchestra capable of playing Rossini’s lively bel canto style, and a production team with the creativity and imagination to successfully stage what is not only one of the highlights of Rossini’s career, but a high point of all of the operatic repertoire.

It is an ambitious challenge to perform William Tell but BLO has never shied away from ambitious challenges! It is not an easy work to perform! Artistic choices have to be made – there are different editions of William Tell, decisions on which cuts should be made, and questions on what is the best way to engage the audience while remaining true to the heart and soul of what Rossini intended.

We are hoping to bring you some Q&A with the people at BLO that will explore their thoughts in presenting this masterpiece. The presentation of this opera was no doubt years in the making. The story of how all of this came to happen deserves to be told.

Tickets for William Tell can be bought on the Boston Lyric Website. https://blo.org/tell/

Emerson Colonial Theatre

Friday, September 25 | 7:30pm
Sunday, September 27 | 3:00pm
Friday, October 2 | 7:30pm
Sunday, October 4 | 3:00pm