January 30 2008
Last night I saw Manon Lescaut, an opera by Giacomo Puccini in Metropolitan Opera in New York City..
The story is based on a novel called “Histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut” published in 1731. The story was controversial at the time of publication but despite this fact many people read the story.
Set in France and Louisiana in the early 18th century the story follows lovers named Des Grieux comes from wealthy and noble family, Manon a beautiful woman who fall for each other and ran away and get settled in Paris.
Des Grriux struggles to satisfy Manon for her taste of luxury and wealth and after a while earning and loosing money in gambling Manon leaves him for an older but richer man. The older man brings her money and luxury but the passionate love life between Manon and Des Grriux is missing in her life.She struggles between wealth and passion. Des Grriux convinces her to come back to him but she gets arrested by the old man while she was running away with Des Grriux and she will set to go to America which Des Grriux begged to be taken too.
Finally the two lovers settled down in Louisiana where the absence of the class differences allows them to live in peace. After a while Des Grriux reviles to the governor that the two lovers are not married and governor asked Des Grriux and Manon to be married.
However governor nephew falls for Manon and Des Grriux challenges him for a duel and knocks him unconscious. Fearing he might kill the man the couple flees to settle in an English neighborhood but Manon dies of exhaustion on the way in desert and Des Grriux returns to France to become a critic.
This is the third opera by Puccini and his first success, the first performance of Manon Lescaut took place in Teatro Regio in Turin in 1893. Although there was another opera made in France based on the same story called Manon but Puccini felt Manon is a heroine woman and she should not fail in wining the hearth of the public and despite of the fight with the producer he wrote the opera which was his first success.
The opera sets in 4 acts, the first act is in front of the Inn which Manon traveling in the company of her brother who they share the coach with Geronte, an old wealthy man. Manon meets Des Grriux who is a student and she agreed to meet him later and then they flee together. The Second act is set in Geronte house in Paris, the design is very colorful, elegant and beautifully done and the taste of the 18th century architect can be sensed in the set. In this act you learn that Manon left Des Grriux due to lack of providing elegant life however she misses the passionate love of him for her.
The third act is in front of the prison and heading to America, sad and passionate aria with the deep voices of the tenor and soprano. You can feel the deep sadness in Des Grriux voice in farewell and regret and disappointment in Manon voices. The fourth and final act is set in Louisiana desert an in my opinion is the weakest act in this opera in terms of design and the story lines. The last act who we learn only that the two lovers are in desert and Manon is about to die but there is no information of how did they arrive to this point and what happened after they moved to America if they were successful at first place. There was nothing exquisite about the stage design for this act and if there wasn’t for the powerful aria and great performances it could have turn to big disappointment.
Despite the fact that if you haven’t read the story and you may not be able to follow the story at some point in the opera but I still believe the Manon Lescaut Opera is a fine opera with great performance and beautiful setting. Even if you are not an opera lover, only by listening to the voices of the tenor and soprano and great arias you can feel that you have been taken to heaven and you have no choice but to laugh when the Manon get excited by the wealth of the old man, tries to fool him and fails to flee with Des Grriux or cry with Des Grriux when Manon dies in his arm. After all is a deep and sad love story.
The opera runs in Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center, New York City (MET) through 2007-2008 season.
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