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Manon Lescaut (Puccini)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Operas by Giacomo Puccini |
|---|
Le Villi (1884) |
- For other versions of the Manon story, see Manon (disambiguation).
Manon Lescaut is a "dramma lirico", or opera, in four acts by Giacomo Puccini. The story is based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost.
The libretto is in Italian. It was somehow cobbled together by five librettists whom Puccini employed (or went through): Ruggero Leoncavallo, Marco Praga, Giuseppe Giacosa, Domenico Oliva and Luigi Illica. The publisher, Giulio Ricordi, and the composer himself also contributed to the libretto. So confused was the authorship of the libretto that no one was credited on the title page of the original score!
The first performance of Manon Lescaut took place in the Teatro Regio in Turin in 1893. Manon Lescaut was Puccini's third opera and his first great success.
His publisher, Ricordi, had been against any project based on Prévost's story, for Massenet had already made it into a successful opera, Manon, in 1884. In fact, the French composer, Daniel Auber, had also already written an opera on the same subject with the title, Manon Lescaut, in 1856.
Despite all the warnings, Puccini proceeded. "Manon is a heroine I believe in and therefore she cannot fail to win the hearts of the public. Why shouldn’t there be two operas about her? A woman like Manon can have more than one lover." He added, "Massenet feels it as a Frenchman, with powder and minuets. I shall feel it as an Italian, with a desperate passion."
Puccini took some musical elements in Manon Lescaut from earlier works he had written. For example, the madrigal Sulla vetta tu del monte from Act II echoes the Agnus Dei from his mass, Messa. Other elements of Manon Lescaut come from his compositions for strings: the quartet Crisantemi (January 1890), two Menuets (probably 1884) and a Scherzo (1883?). The love theme comes from the aria Mentia l'avviso (1883).
Contents |
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, February 1, 1893 (Conductor: Alessandro Pomè) |
|---|---|---|
| Manon Lescaut | soprano | Cesira Ferrani |
| Lescaut, her brother, a sergeant | baritone | Achille Moro |
| Chevalier des Grieux | tenor | Giuseppe Cremonini |
| Geronte de Revoir, Treasurer General | bass | Alessandro Polonini |
| Edmondo, a student | tenor | Roberto Ramini |
| Innkeeper | bass | Augusto Castagnoli |
| Singer | mezzo-soprano | Elvira Ceresoli |
| Dancing Master | tenor | Roberto Ramini |
| Lamplighter | tenor | Roberto Ramini |
| Sergeant of the Royal Archers | bass | Ferdin. Cattadori |
| Naval Captain | bass | |
| Hairdresser | silent | Augusto Ghinghini |
| Singers, old beaux and abbés, girls, townsfolk, students, courtesans, archers, sailors | ||
- Time: The second half of the eighteenth century.
- Places: Amiens, Paris, Le Havre, New Orleans.
Act I. A public square in front of an inn in Amiens. Crowd strolling about; men drinking and gaming. Students waiting for the girls to come from work. (Madrigal, Edmund: "Hail! lovely night," with mocking chorus: "Ha! ha! ha!") Edmund sings of youthful pleasure. ("Youth is ours.") The girls appear. Des Grieux enters, but is melancholy and does not join the other students. (Des Grieux: "No, away, you tempting fair ones!") They joke with him. (Chorus: "Dance, revel's wild enjoyment.") Manon and Lescaut descend from the coach. Des Grieux is enchanted with Manon. ("Never did I behold so fair a maiden.") He approaches her when Lescaut enters the inn, and she promises to meet him later. The students laugh, pointing at them merrily. Lescaut returns with Geronte, who also is captivated by Manon, saying she will only be wasted upon a convent. He plans to carry her off, while Lescaut is engaged at cards, but Edmund, overhearing, suggests to Des Grieux to go off with Manon himself in the old roué's post-chaise. Manon appears (Manon: "Behold me!"), coquets with Des Grieux, and they fly together. Geronte and Lescaut arrive on the scene as they disappear, and Lescaut proposes that they follow post haste to Paris. (Chorus: "Fragrant breezes lightly wafting.")
Act II. A room in Geronte's house in Paris, where Manon is installed as his mistress, having left Des Grieux when his money gave out. The hairdresser has come, and while he is arranging her hair she talks with Lescaut, who congratulates her. (Lescaut: "A modest little cottage.") Manon is sad and her thoughts turn to Des Grieux. Geronte is too old and wicked: he bores her. Singers enter to amuse her. (Madrigal: "Speed we o'er the mountain's fastness.") Geronte brings a dancing master; he and his friends kiss Manon's hand. All dance a minuet, (Manon, Geronte and chorus: "All the golden praise you murmur."); when the men go to stroll along the boulevards, Des Grieux suddenly appears. (Manon: "You love me then no more ?" Duet: "'Tis love's own magic spell.") As they renew their vows, Geronte returns unexpectedly. He salutes them ironically, reminding Manon of his many favors to her. She replies that by looking in his mirror he will see that she cannot love him. Bowing low he leaves them. The lovers rejoice in their freedom, but Manon hesitates at the thought of leaving her jewels and pretty frocks. (Des Grieux: "Ah, Manon, you betray me!") Lescaut enters in breathless haste, making signs that they must depart immediately. Manon snatches up her jewels, and they go to the door. It is locked by Geronte's order. A squad of soldiers appear, to arrest Manon, who, in trying to escape, drops the jewels at Geronte's feet. She is dragged off, and Des Grieux is not permitted to follow her. Intermezzo.
Act III. A square near the harbor in Le Havre. Manon is in prison. Lescaut and Des Grieux linger near, By talking to her through the bars, they learn that she is to be deported to America. (Des Grieux: "'Tis dawn!"). Vainly they attempt a rescue. The guard appears, escorting a group of women, who are going on the same ship as Manon. She walks among them, pale and sad. (Chorus: "Indeed she is lovely.") The crowd make brutal comments. Des Grieux, going to Manon's side, is roughly pushed away by the sergeant, but the captain of the ship, seeing his intense grief, allows him to board the ship. (Des Grieux: "Madness seizes me.")
Act IV. "A vast desert near the outskirts of New Orleans." (Puccini's knowledge of Louisiana geography was not impeccable.) Manon and Des Grieux appear, half-dead with fatigue. (Des Grieux: "Fear not to lean on me.") They do not know where to go for shelter. (Duet: "Most cruel fate.") Des Grieux is alarmed by Manon's appearance and goes to look for water for her. Manon thinks he has left her forever. (Manon: "Alone, forsaken.") He returns, frantically calling her, but she is beyond human aid and dies in his arms.
- "Tra voi, belle, brune e bionde" - Des Grieux in Act I
- "Donna non vidi mai" (I never saw a woman like this) - Des Grieux in Act I
- "Sei splendida e lucente" - Lescaut in Act II
- "In quelle trine morbide" (In that soft lace) - Manon in Act II
- "L'ora, o Tirsi, è vaga e bella" - Manon in Act II
- "Ah Manon, mi tradisce" - Des Grieux in Act II
- "No! No! pazzo son! (No! I am mad!)" - Des Grieux in Act III
- "Sola, perduta, abbandonata" (Alone, lost, abandoned) - Manon in Act IV
The Intermezzo sinfonico at the beginning of Act III is also especially noteworthy.
| Year | Cast (Manon Lescaut, Des Grieux, Lescaut) |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Licia Albanese, Jussi Bjoerling, Robert Merrill |
Jonel Perlea, Rome Opera orchestra and chorus |
Audio CD:RCA Victor Cat: 60573-2-RG |
| 1980 | Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo, Pablo Elvira |
James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus |
DVD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 00440 073 4241 |
| 1984 | Kiri Te Kanawa, Plácido Domingo, Thomas Allen |
Giuseppe Sinopoli, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Orchestra and Chorus (Movie) |
DVD: Kultur Video ASIN: B00008DDRL |
Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company; "ASIN" is amazon.com product reference number.
- Plot taken from The Opera Goer's Complete Guide by Leo Melitz, 1921 version.
- Anthony Tommasini: The New York Times Essential Library of Opera, Times Books (Henry Holt and Company), 2004.
- Julian Budden: 'Manon Lescaut', Grove Music Online, 2005.