Wilhelm Tell

Can an individual protect his own freedom and rights without recourse to society? In Friedrich Schiller’s dramatic works the dedicated lone fighter William Tell reluctantly, though in reality very much in his own interests, becomes a slayer of tyrants, a popular folk hero and co-founder of a new social order.

The idea of freedom, both of the individual and of society, is a constant theme from beginning to end in Schiller’s works. His »Tell« can be seen as a powerful counter to the fiercely escalating French Revolution. Just as »Wilhelm Tell«, Schiller’s last play, is a counter balance to his first work »Die Räuber«.  

Wilhelm Tell embodies Schiller’s ideal of a free man who when his life, freedom and family are threatened, reaches for his weapon and strikes down the tyrant Vogt Gessler. He relies on natural laws to defeat the enemies of freedom and when his own free will is threatened by alien powers. In the work’s three linked storylines there is always, on the side of the protagonists, a powerful woman who strongly influences the outcome. The right to retaliate and the right to freedom of the individual and the social community are the main themes of the play: thus always imbuing the piece with a strong political element. In the Salzburg State Theatre, director Agnessa Nefjodov, together with the whole team, explores the different facets of freedom and the question of how the fight for freedom should be fought. She thus presents a work that the expression »The bright light of freedom« perfectly captures the essence of the debate.

(Translated from the German by Mike Mackenzie-Smith)

Duration: approx. 2 hours / one intermission