Catalani completed the score of "Loreley" by November 1887. However, in early 1888, Casa Lucca was acquired by Ricordi. Catalani, by this time seriously ill with tuberculosis, fretted that Ricordi was ignoring his work and primarily concentrating on Puccini. Ricordi had published Puccini's "Le Villi" in 1884 and commissioned 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 Adolfo 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 House on 12 July 1907. The first American performance was presented by the Chicago Opera Association at the Auditorium Building in Chicago on 17 January 1919 with Anna Fitziu in the title role.