Before Tosca , Madama Butterfly , and La Bohème , there was Le Villi. This electrifying debut of twenty-five-year-old Giacomo Puccini is proof that one of opera's greatest voices arrived fully formed. Rooted in the same dark folklore that inspired the ballet Giselle , Le Villi is a gothic revenge story of breathtaking ferocity. After a young woman dies from a broken heart, the forest fairies (the Villi) are invoked to seek out the heartbreaker and force him to dance until he dies. Don't miss this rarely performed masterwork when OperaDelaware brings Le Villi to The OperaDelaware Studios on March 19 and March 21.