Tell – the Swiss legend

Idyllic nature | Fight for freedom | Drama

No other figure has had such a lasting impact on the story of the founding of the country and on Swiss consciousness as William Tell. Inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller penned a drama about the legendary figure which would go on to become a masterpiece of world literature.

Italian composer Gioachino Rossini then transformed the tale into his gripping opera ‘Guillaume Tell’, and the triumphant success of this work made this freedom fighter into an immortal figure. Two generations later, Basle-born composer Hans Huber decided to tackle the Tell legend and immortalised it in his monumental Tell Symphony. It combines the idylls of nature with the fight for freedom in a musical tale full of almost unparalleled tension and drama – a symphony which draws the listener into the heat of the battle with every note. Alongside this masterpiece, we also have Tchaikovsky’s legendary piano concerto in B Flat Minor – a musical firework given new life by the virtuosity of renowned pianist Ilya Shmukler. And who better to perform this cleverly concocted evening of drama than the Swiss Orchestra, conducted by Lena-Lisa Wüstendörfer?