The
second act opens with two orchestral movements, 'L'Abbandono,' which
describes the funeral of Anna, and 'La Tregenda,' the dance of the
Wilis. Robert now appears, torn by remorse, and pours forth his
unavailing regrets. But the hour of repentance is past. Anna and her
attendant Wilis rush on. The unfortunate man, in a kind of hypnotic
trance, is drawn into their circling dance. They whirl him round and
round in ever wilder and more fantastic gambols, until he drops lifeless
upon the ground, and the avenging spirits disappear with a Hosanna of
triumph. There is little attempt at local colour in 'Le Villi,' but the
music is full of imaginative power. In the purely orchestral parts of
the work the composer seems to have escaped from convention altogether,
and has written music instinct with weird suggestion and unearthly
force.
Puccini's next opera, 'Edgar' (1889), was a failure, but in 'Manon
Lescaut' (1893) he once more achieved success. His treatment of the Abbe
Prevost's romance, as may well be imagined, differs _in toto_ from that
of Massenet. The libretto, in the first place, is laid out upon an
entirely different plan. It consists of a string of detached scenes with
but little mutual connection, which, without some previous knowledge of
the story, would be barely comprehensible. The first act deals with the
meeting of the lovers at Amiens and their flight to Paris.
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