Le Villi

Composer: Puccini, Giacomo

Librettist/Text Author: Fontana, Ferdinando

Conductor: Angius, Marco

Orchestra: Fiorentino Maggio Musicale Orchestra

Chorus: Fiorentino Maggio Musicale Chorus

Chorus Master: Fratini, Lorenzo

Anna: Cleva, Maria

Guglielmo Wulf: Fabbian, Elia

Narrator: Laudadio, Tony

Roberto: Caimi, Leonardo

Set Designer: Saponaro, Francesco Arturo

Costume Designer: Aversano, Chiara

Lighting Designer: Mari, Pasquale

Choreographer: Sastro, Susanna

Stage Director: Saponaro, Francesco Arturo

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Date of Production: 2019

Venue: Maggio Musical Fiorentino, Firenze

Playing Time: 01:10:14

Catalogue Number: 37840

UPC: 8007144378400

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Le Villi is an opera-ballet in two acts that marked Giacomo Puccini's debut in the world of opera. It was first staged at Teatro dal Verme in Milan in 1884. Librettist Ferdinando Fontana based the story on the ancient legend of the Willis, fantastic creatures representing the souls of young women who were the victims of love.

Anna and Roberto are engaged, but during a trip the man is seduced by a woman and his fianc?e dies of heartbreak. Roberto, who is by then abandoned and left penniless, is haunted by remorse and attacked by the revengeful fairies and Anna's ghost.

All the elements of the more mature Puccini are already recognizable: the characters of Anna and Roberto anticipate the "love victim" and the "man without qualities" archetypes of his later operas, whereas some of the composer's touches of harmony and aria structure foresee his future success.