Le Villi

Opéra de Marseille, 2 Place Ernest Reyer

GIACOMO PUCCINI's Le Villi are evil nymphs who take revenge on an unfaithful lover. These figures from Scandinavian mythology already appear in the ballet Giselle. On this fantastic subject, Puccini, freshly minted from the Conservatory, writes his first opera. He participates in a competition organized by a Milan publisher. He does not win, but his work attracts Ricordi's attention and commissions his second opera. With the support of Boito, the librettist of Verdi, Le Villi is performed in another Milan theater and achieves success. The consecration will come when Mahler then Toscan...