La donna del lago to Naples in early June with no projects in the offing, except to become involved with overseeing a new production of his "La gazza ladra" there. Also, a commission from Milan's La Scala for an opera, which would become "Bianca e Falliero", had been offered and was planned for December of that year. Suddenly, the Italian composer Gaspare Spontini withdrew from a commitment to write two operas for the Naples house that season, thus leaving a huge gap. Rossini was quickly asked to write an opera for a September premiere; rather than use an existing libretto, the house insisted upon
Loreley (opera) his "Edgar" for a La Scala production in 1889. The world premiere of "Loreley" finally took place on 16 February 1890 at the Teatro Regio in Turin conducted by Edoardo Mascheroni. The production, with Virginia Ferni-Germano in the title role, had sets by Ugo Gheduzzi and costumes designed by Adolf Hohenstein. It proved to be Catalani's most enduring work, surpassed only by his last opera "La Wally". In the years following the Turin premiere, "Loreley" was performed in multiple Italian cities, including Milan where it was first performed at La Scala in 1905. It subsequently premiered at London's Royal Opera