Le Villi
On a fantastical subject, Puccini, fresh out of the conservatory, wrote his first opera.
About this event
GIACOMO PUCCINI
The Villi are malevolent nymphs who take revenge on an unfaithful lover. These figures from Scandinavian mythology already appear in the ballet Giselle. On this fantastical subject, Puccini, fresh out of the conservatory, wrote his first opera. He entered a competition organized by a Milanese publisher. He did not win, but his work attracted Ricordi’s attention, and the publisher commissioned his second opera.
With the support of Boito, Verdi’s librettist, Le Villi was performed in another theatre in Milan and was successful. Its ultimate recognition came when Mahler and then Toscanini conducted the opera. In the role of Anna, we will see Alexandra Marcellier, who moved all of Marseille to tears in Madame Butterfly, and the excellent Thomas Bettinger, who sang Pinkerton. Alongside them, the indestructible Marseille baritone Marc Scoffoni.
OPERA-BALLET IN TWO ACTS Libretto by Ferdinando FONTANA Premiere in Milan, Teatro Dal Verme, May 31, 1884 First performance at the Opéra de Marseille
NEW PRODUCTION
Co-production Opéra de Marseille / Opéra Nice Côte-d’Azur / Opéra Grand Avignon / Opéra Toulon Provence Méditerranée
Musical direction Paolo ARRIVABENI Direction, sets, costumes, lighting & choreography Stefano PODA Artistic collaboration Paolo GIANI
Anna Alexandra MARCELLIER
Roberto Thomas BETTINGER Guglielmo Marc SCOFFONI
Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra de Marseille
Vibrating-vest system for the Sunday, November 15 performance, by reservation
