The opening concert of the Teatro Dal Verme’s 80th anniversary season also serves to commemorate two additional significant milestones: the centenary of the composer’s death and the 140th anniversary of the opera’s premiere, which was first performed in this very historic Milanese theatre.
This concert offers a rare opportunity to experience in concert form Le Willis, the opera that brought Giacomo Puccini to international prominence. Although seldom performed in its original version, the work is widely regarded as one of the composer’s early masterpieces. The programme opens with César Franck’s Prière, presented in an orchestration by Ticinese composer Fabio Arnaboldi, and dedicated to the memory of Adriana Fasolis. This tribute evokes Puccini’s early association with the organ and his affinity for French symphonic aesthetics—elements that subtly inform the stylistic fabric of his youthful works.
