Le Villi

Le Villi is an opera by Giacomo Puccini, first performed in 1884. It was Puccini's first opera and was initially conceived as a one-act work. The opera's premiere was a success, attracting the attention of the music publisher Giulio Ricordi, who commissioned Puccini to expand it to two acts.1

The opera is noted for its dramatic power and the significant role of the orchestra, showing the influence of Richard Wagner. Le Villi is considered an early example of Puccini's operatic style, which would later be refined in his more famous works like La Bohème and Tosca.12