La Wally
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La Wally is a four-act opera by Alfredo Catalani, composed on a libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed at La Scala, Milan on January 20, 1892.
The libretto is based on a hugely successful Heimatroman and theatre piece by Wilhelmine von Hillern (1836-1916), Die Geyer-Wally, Eine Geschichte aus den Tyroler Alpen (literally: "The Vulture-Wally"). The story is set in a village in Tyrol. The father of the heroine wants to arrange for her a marriage she does not want.
The opera is best known for its aria Ebben? Ne andrò lontana, (Act I), sung when Wally decides to leave her home forever. Catalani had composed that aria independently as Chanson Groënlandaise in 1878 and later incorporated into his opera. It was featured prominently in Jean-Jacques Beineix's film Diva.
The opera also features one of the more memorable of operatic deaths, in which the heroine throws herself into a passing avalanche. It is seldom performed as such, but arias are sung frequently.
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