About the work
Le Villi is Giacomo Puccini's first work for the stage, an opera originally in one act with a libretto by Ferdinando Fontana. Fontana drew on Alphonse Karr's story Les Willis and on Central European legends of the Wilis, vengeful spirits of jilted brides. Puccini composed the score for a competition held by the publisher Sonzogno and premiered it on 31 May 1884 at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan; later that same year he expanded it into two acts, first performed on 26 December 1884 at the Teatro Regio in Turin.
Plot
Anna and Roberto become engaged, but Roberto must travel to Mainz before the wedding to claim an inheritance. There he falls for another woman's charms and forgets his promise, and Anna dies of grief over his absence. When the remorseful Roberto returns, Anna's father summons the Wilis: the spirits of dead, betrayed brides force Roberto into a fatal dance he cannot escape.
Cultural significance
The premiere was hailed as a great success and established Puccini's reputation as an opera composer, even though the work had not even made the shortlist of the Sonzogno competition it was originally written for, reportedly because of a barely legible score. Publisher Giulio Ricordi recognised Puccini's talent and took the work into his own catalogue.