So let's show some underrated operas. Start with William Tell. You know the most famous opera overture in existence, now listen to the rest of the opera.
William Tell is one of the glories of the repertoire, and should be produced on every third or fourth year by all the major companies. It would be if all the performances were like this. But it has one small problem. Rossini knew that this would be his last opera before his long retirement, to which he had to bring his A-game and create the extravaganza of extravaganzas. So however glorious, William Tell uncut is 5 and a half hours long. Nobody's going to put on an opera that is longer than any single Wagner opera, even if it's by Rossini, hit maker among hit makers.
But like all long operas, William Tell was written with the expectation that it would be cut, and even a prudent scissors will cut a good third to forty-percent of the opera, and no one will be any the wiser. So here it is, two-thirds of William Tell, in an absolutely magnificent production which may or may not have been Riccardo Muti's debut as La Scala's director, and includes Giorgio Zancarro, Cheryl Studer, and Baltimore's own Chris Merritt.
https://youtu.be/PIL0N8H5i7I?t=843
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