MANON Opéra Comique by Jules Massenet
Comedy & Comic Opera
•
2h 41m
Language: French
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Manon is an Opéra Comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 19 January 1884.
The composer worked at the score of Manon at his country home outside Paris and also at a house at The Hague once occupied by Prévost himself.
Manon is Massenet's most popular and enduring opera and, having "quickly conquered the world's stages", it has maintained an important place in the repertory since its creation. It is the quintessential example of the charm and vitality of the music and culture of the Parisian Belle Époque. In 1893 an opera by Giacomo Puccini entitled Manon Lescaut, and based on the same novel was premiered and has also become popular.
One evening, in Amiens, young Edmond jokes with students, courting young girls. His friend, the Chevalier Renato des Grieux joins them, melancholy, waiting for the perfect woman who will make him feel love . The students were even more cheerful. It was then that the Arras train entered the station. Among the travelers, Des Grieux spots a young woman with whom he instantly falls in love. He approaches her and learns that her name is Manon Lescaut, and that she will leave the next day to enter the convent, according to her father's wish.
Director: Director Alan Woodbridge
Cast: Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, Manon Lescaut (Patricia Petibon), Le Chevalier (Bernard Richter), Lescaut (Pierre Doyen), Gillot de Morfontaine (Rodolphe Briand), Monsieur de Brétigny (Marc Mazuir), Le Comte des Grieux (Bálint Szabó)
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