La Wally by Catalani returns to Cagliari after 115 years to applause

A minute of silence was observed in remembrance of Pope Francis, accompanied by a message honoring his legacy, at the opening of Catalani's opera La Wally, which premiered last night at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari. The same tribute will take place again on Saturday the 26th, during the performance by the second cast.

The theater joined in the mourning felt across the world: "A guide who spoke to the hearts of people with humility, courage, and profound humanity, showing everyone the path of dialogue, peace, and solidarity," read the heartfelt words. The curtain then rose on a story of love, freedom, and death, set against a hauntingly beautiful mountain landscape. The Lirico brought back to the stage the masterpiece by the composer from Lucca, absent from the Sardinian capital for over a century.

It has been 115 years since the opera was last performed at the Teatro Civico — an opera Mahler once called the most beautiful he had ever conducted. La Wally, centered around a modern heroine — a strong-willed young woman, rebellious against the conventions and rules of patriarchal society — features its most iconic moment in the aria "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana."

The evocative staging was directed by Massimo Pizzi Gasparon Contarini, former assistant to Pier Luigi Pizzi. The Venetian director, also responsible for the sets, costumes, lighting, and video design, offered a metaphysical interpretation of the opera, a tale “dominated by omens.”

The setting was moved to the late 1800s and early 1900s, “imbued with a sense of decay and the looming foreboding of an end hanging over things and people.” Wally, secretly in love with Giuseppe Hagenbach, refuses the marriage to Gellner arranged by her father and, after being cast out, chooses solitude, only to later return — now a wealthy heiress — at a social gathering. A cruel trick and a stolen kiss later lead to a mysterious “accident,” prompting the young woman to retreat from the world. Eventually found by Hagenbach, who confesses his love, her dream of happiness is shattered: an avalanche sweeps the man away, and she follows him by throwing herself into the void.

Outstanding musical direction by Lü Jia, who, leading the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Lirico, highlighted all the nuances of the poignant and intense score. Beautiful choreography by Letizia Giuliani. Applause for the cast: from the lead role performed by Oksana Dyka, to David Cervera (Stromminger); Sonia Maria Fortunato (Afra); Elena Schirru (Walter); Marcelo Alvarez (Giuseppe Hagenbach); Devid Cecconi (Vincenzo Gellner); Andrea Tabili (The Pedlar).