Roles
In the libretto, each part of the symphonic intermezzo between Acts I and II – L'Abbandono (The Desertion) and La tregenda (The Spectre) – is preceded by explanatory verses recounting the intervening events. Michele Girardi, citing a letter from Fontana to Puccini on 3 September 1884, has pointed out that the librettist intended for these to be read by the audience but not actually recited by a narrator. According to Mosco Carner, Puccini had intended for the verses to be read out to the audience, although he notes there is no mention of this having actually happened in contemporary reviews of the first production. Likewise, there is no record of a narrator having been used at the first performance of Le Villi at the Metropolitan opera in 1908. Nevertheless, a narrator is used in some modern productions of the opera, such as the September 2004 production at the Teatro Dal Verme with Leo Nucci as the narrator, and the August 1994 production at the Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca with Massimo Foschi as narrator. A narrator (Tito Gobbi) is also used in the Sony 1981 studio recording of the work.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 31 May 1884 (Conductor:) |
Premiere Cast, revised version, 26 December 1884 (Conductor: Giovanni Bolzoni) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guglielmo, the head forester | baritone or bass | Erminio Peltz | Agostino Gnaccarini |
| Anna, his daughter | soprano | Rosina Caponetti | Elena Boronat |
| Roberto, a young man | tenor | Antonio d'Andrade | Enrico Filippi-Bresciani |
| Mountain folk, fairies, unseen spirits | |||
Read more about this topic: Le Villi
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