Manon Lescaut (Puccini)
Work data | |
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Title: | Manon Lescaut |
Shape: | “Dramma lirico” in four acts |
Original language: | Italian |
Music: | Giacomo Puccini |
Libretto : | Giacomo Puccini, Ruggero Leoncavallo , Marco Praga , Domenico Oliva , Luigi Illica , Giuseppe Giacosa , Giulio Ricordi , Giuseppe Adami |
Literary source: | Abbé Prévost : Histoire du Chevalier Des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut |
Premiere: | February 1, 1893 |
Place of premiere: | Teatro Regio , Turin |
Playing time: | about 2 hours |
Place and time of the action: | France and North America, in the second half of the 18th century |
people | |
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Manon Lescaut is an opera (original name: "Dramma lirico") in four acts by Giacomo Puccini , which was premiered in 1893 at the Teatro Regio in Turin. At the libretto several authors were involved: Ruggero Leoncavallo , Marco Praga , Domenico Oliva , Luigi Illica , Giuseppe Giacosa , Giulio Ricordi , Giuseppe Adami and Puccini himself The plot is based on the novel. Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut (1731) of Abbé Prévost .
action
The introductory texts in italics are based on the German translation by Ludwig Hartmann.
first act
In Amiens
Another place at the Paris Post Office in Amiens. On the right an avenue, on the left a tavern with a vestibule, under which tables and chairs are for those arriving. An external staircase leads to the first floor of the inn. Students, citizens, people, women and girls, soldiers who walk and chat back and forth across the square and go to the avenue and come from there. Others form groups and talk, others sit at the tables and drink and play. Edmondo with other students; later Des Grieux.
In the square in front of the Paris Post Office in Amiens , a crowd is waiting for the stagecoach from Arras . The student Edmondo greets his friends "half funny, half sentimental" with a madrigal (Edmondo: "Ave, sera gentile"). Together they flirt with a group of girls (Edmondo / students: "Giovinezza è il nostro nome"). When their fellow student Des Grieux comes by, they ridicule him as being ignorant of love affairs. Des Grieux proves them wrong with a gallant serenade to the girls (“Tra voi, belle, brune e bionde”). Manon Lescaut, her brother, who is to take her to a monastery at the behest of her father, and the tax farmer Geronte de Ravoir arrive by stagecoach. Des Grieux falls in love with Manon at first sight, speaks to her and learns about her planned future (Des Grieux: "Cortese damigella"). He persuades her to meet him again in the evening. After she went into the house with her brother, Des Grieux fell into raptures (Des Grieux: "Donna non vidi mai") until he was distracted by his friends. Geronte de Ravoir, however, has also had an eye on Manon. After learning from Lescaut about her future in the monastery, he uses money to persuade the landlord to provide a carriage. Edmondo, who overheard the trade, tells Des Grieux about it. At the evening meeting, he was able to convince Manon to flee with him (Manon: “Vedete? Io son fedele”). They both disappear into the carriage rented by Geronte, while Geronte and the drunken Lescaut are mocked by the crowd.
Second act
In Paris
An elegant salon in the Gerontes house. Large doors in the background. On the right, rich curtains cover the entrance to an alcove. To the left of the window is a luxurious dressing table. Sofa, armchair, table in rich taste. The curtain goes up. Manon sits in front of the toilet, covered with a dressy white powder coat. The barber is busy looking after them. Two boys stand in the back to carry out their orders at once.
After Manon lived for a short time with the destitute Des Grieux in Paris, she was brought to Geronte by her brother Lescaut. He showered them with presents. One morning Manon receives a visit from her brother, who praises her beauty. Despite her current wealth, Manon misses her lover Des Grieux (Manon: "In quelle trine morbide"). Lescaut tells her that he is also longing for her. In order to get the money needed to recapture them, he has since fallen into gambling. Manon's regret quickly fades when she glances in the mirror. A group of powdered choristers enter and play Manon a pastoral madrigal that Geronte composed for them (choristers: “Sulla vetta tu del monte”). She gives Lescaut her wallet to pay for the musicians, but Lescaut pockets the money himself and dismisses the musicians "in the name of true glory". Some of the guests invited by Geronte now appear: elderly gentlemen and clergymen. Quartet players tune their instruments in the background. Geronte himself comes with a dance master, under whose guidance Manon dances a minuet. The guests praise her with fascination, and Manon asks Geronte to dance (Manon: “L'ora, o Tirsi, è vaga e bella”). When the company has left and Manon is preparing to follow them, Des Grieux enters, whom Lescaut has fetched (Manon / Des Grieux: "Tu, amore? Tu?"). Manon throws himself into his arms in order to achieve a reconciliation (Manon: "Io voglio il tuo perdono"). At that moment, however, Geronte returns, realizes the situation and hurries away under threats. Des Grieux urges to flee. But Manon cannot leave her jewelry (Des Grieux: "Ah! Manon, mi tradisce"). Finally, Lescaut returns breathless and reports that Geronte has sued Manon. He also urges you to hurry. Manon snatches a few jewelry items that she wants to take with her. However, the house is already surrounded by soldiers and it is impossible to escape. When a sergeant and two soldiers enter, Manon drops the jewels in shock. She is being arrested. Lescaut can just stop Des Grieux from attacking the soldiers. If he had also been arrested, no one could save Manon.
Third act
Intermezzo sinfonico
An orchestral interlude depicts Manon's captivity and journey to Le Havre, where Des Grieux follows her. A programmatic quote from Prévost's story describes his feelings:
«… Gli è che io l'amo! - La mia passione è so forte che io mi sento la più sfortunata creatura che viva. - Quello che non ho io tentato a Parigi per ottenere la sua libertà! … Ho implorato i potenti! … Ho picchiato e supplicato a tutte le porte! … Persino alla violenza ho ricorso! … Tutto fu inutile. - Una sol via mi rimaneva: seguirla! Ed io seguo! Dovunque ella vada! … Fosse pure in capo al mondo! ... »
"... Here is the beloved. My passion is so strong that I feel like the most unhappy creature on earth. What did I not try in Paris to get Manon's liberation! I pleaded with those in power, knocked on all doors and asked. I even resorted to violence. All in vain. I couldn't save her, so there was only one way left - to follow her. And I follow her - wherever she goes, I follow her; And if it were the end of the world ... I follow her ... "
Le Havre
Place at the port. In the background the view of the sea and the ships. Left the corner of a barracks. A window on the ground floor that is barred with thick iron bars. The gate that goes into the square is closed. A guard patrols in front of it. In the back port you can see half of a warship. On the right a house and a piece of sidewalk. In the corner is a dimly lit lighthouse. It is the last hour of the night. The morning begins to dawn. Des Grieux and Lescaut, both from different sides of the barracks.
Manon was sentenced to exile in the American penal colony . Des Grieux and Lescaut plan one last attempt to free them. A security guard bribed by Lescaut first enables a conversation between the lovers, in which Des Grieux informs Manon about the plan. The dawn is already dawning, and a lantern keeper singing out the light in the lighthouse. The two have to part. Suddenly a shot is fired and voices call to arms. The escape plan has failed. Lescaut urges them to hurry, but Des Grieux does not want to flee without Manon. It was only her own pleading that moved him to follow Lescaut. The noise has now attracted a lot of people, between whom the two hide. The embarkation of the exiled prostitutes begins under the supervision of a sergeant and a naval commander. The sergeant calls out one name at a time, each commented on by the crowd. When it is Manon's turn, Lescaut arouses the indignation of those present with a pictorial description of her cruel fate. Des Grieux takes the opportunity to carefully approach Manon. The two tearfully say goodbye until the sergeant roughly tears them apart. With the courage of desperation, Des Grieux persuades the captain to take him with him as a cabin boy (Des Grieux: "No! Pazzo son! - Guardate, pazzo son"). Lescaut stays behind, shaking his head.
Fourth act
In America
An immense plain on the farthest border from New Orleans. The ground is undulating and completely barren and terribly barren. The sky was cloudy gray. The evening is getting dark. Manon and Des Grieux slowly approach from the background, poorly dressed, with a suffering in appearance. Manon is pale emaciated and leans wearily on Des Grieux, who struggles to hold her upright.
During the escape through the desert, Manon becomes weaker and weaker. She sends Des Grieux to look for water. While waiting for his return, she remembers the reason for her flight, confused and exhausted (Manon: “Sola… perduta, abbandonata”): She and Des Grieux were supposed to be separated again after arriving in America. He was embroiled in a bloody fight and the two had to flee. Manon curses her beauty, which she blames for it. When Des Grieux returns without water, Manon - already completely exhausted - protests her eternal love for him and dies in his arms.
layout
orchestra
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : three flutes (3rd also piccolo ), two oboes , english horn , two clarinets , bass clarinet , two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , bass tuba
- Timpani , percussion : bass drum , cymbals , glockenspiel , tam-tam , triangle , drum
- Celesta
- harp
- Strings
- Incidental music : flute, cornet , bells, bell in g, drum
Music numbers
The opera is well composed. In the literature, the following pieces are highlighted (German texts after the translation by Ludwig Hartmann):
first act
- Edmondo: "Ave, sera gentile" ("Greetings to evening!")
Madrigal - Edmondo / Students: “Giovinezza è il nostro nome” (“Our banner is the happy youth”)
Madrigal - Des Grieux: "Tra voi, belle, brune e bionde" ("Among all you beautiful children")
"Gallanterie" - Des Grieux: "Cortese damigella" ("My gracious Fraulein")
Des Grieux 'speaks to Manon politely and becomes aware of his feelings - Des Grieux: "Donna non vidi mai" ("Where did a being
live? ") Expression of Des Grieux '"extatic love". - Manon: “Vedete? io son fedele ”(“ Now you see! I have faithfully ”)
the conversation is increasingly turning into“ ecstatic lyricism ”.
Second act
- Manon: "In quelle trine morbide" ("Oh, in the cold tips there is")
"pronounced descent melos as an expression for Manon's loneliness in the midst of the cold splendor" - Choristers: "Sulla vetta tu del monte" ("You walk on the heights of the mountain, O Chloë")
Madrigal - Manon: "L'ora, o Tirsi, è vaga e bella" ("Hear the hour, Tyrso, lure")
pastoral Ariette Manons as an example of the "subtle change in semantic references" (Girardi 2000, 91) - Manon / Des Grieux: “Tu, amore? Tu? ”(“ You, you! Beloved! ”)
The great love duet of the opera - Manon: "Io voglio il tuo perdono" ("Yes, now you should forgive")
- Des Grieux: “Ah! Manon, mi tradisce ”(“ Manon! Shameful! ”)
Des Grieux's premonition of a dark future
Third act
- Intermezzo sinfonico
- Des Grieux: “No! pazzo son! - Guardate, pazzo son "(" Woe to me ... I'm great ...! ")
Expression of Des Grieux's desperation as a" musical snapshot of an exceptional psychological situation "
Fourth act
- Manon: "Sola ... perduta, abbandonata" ("Alone! - given up by everyone")
Manon's own description of the state of her soul immediately before her death, fluctuating between "resignation and euphoria"
music
Although there is no longer any recognizable division into scenes, there are traditional and mostly self-contained musical forms in which feelings are expressed and melodies can develop. Six solo pieces with different emotional content are assigned to Des Grieux alone. It is one of the most extensive and demanding tenor roles of Puccini.
In the treatment of the orchestra, Puccini orientated himself clearly on Richard Wagner , which is noticeable in the forward-looking harmonic turns (including the quoted Tristan chord ) and the leitmotif technique used . The love duet in the second act, the “Intermezzo sinfonico” and the fourth act are particularly influenced by this. The title role is assigned its own motif for the words “Manon Lescaut mi chiamo”, which varies greatly over the course of the opera. In the fourth act, the motifs presented in the previous acts are condensed again. Instrumental solos are rarely used. The leitmotifs go far beyond their use as memory motifs by Giuseppe Verdi , but do not yet form a "syntactic-semantic" system.
The vocal themes often appear completely first in the orchestra. In the beginning the soloists take it over in a quasi-recitative in broken form. On the other hand, there are also cantable twists outside of the closed forms. A frequent "doubling of the expressive cantilena in several octave registers" is striking.
Puccini used various older forms to represent the historical coloring of the Ancien Régime . The madrigal, which is actually too old in terms of music history , symbolizes a "free secular canzone". The opening motif of the first act is based on the second of the Tre minuetti for string quartet, a student exercise by Puccini. In the second act there is a reference to the castrato culture of the 18th century with the appearance of the musicians as well as a pastoral madrigal. In this scene both the tuning of the instruments and the playing of the musicians are fully composed. This is followed by a three-part dance scene by Manon called a minuet . From Des Grieux's appearance onwards, the historicizing elements of the music give way to Wagner's style with a variant of the Tristan chord.
libretto
Since Puccini wanted to avoid too great a resemblance of his opera with Massenet's Manon (“bisogna assolutamente evitare Massenet”), both the characterizations and the selection of scenes in both works differ significantly from each other. There are similarities only in the first act in the first meeting of the couple and the escape to Paris. The motif of "love at first sight" is of central importance. The selected episodes are incoherent and not always central to the plot of Prévost's original. Without knowing the novel, what happened is not completely understandable. The effect only arises through the music.
Puccini himself wrote that he felt the subject, which Prévost dealt with “as a Frenchman, with powder and minuet”, “in the Italian way, with desperate passion”. His endeavor was "to shape the historical local color of the 18th century, especially in its sanctimonious and affected features". The poetic language of the 18th century, which is characterized by a “linguistic and metrical archaism”, is found predominantly in the first and the beginning of the second act. From Des Grieux's appearance in the latter, the language becomes more modern and direct, and in the fourth act there is no longer any trace of “French powder”.
Work history
The libretto of Puccini's opera Manon Lescaut is based on the Histoire du chevalier Des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut from the seventh volume of the Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité qui s'est retiré du monde des Abbé Prévost ( Antoine François Prévost d 'Exiles). Puccini certainly already knew Jules Massenet's setting of the material. His opera Manon had already successfully premiered in Paris in 1884, but was still unknown to the Italian audience. Unlike in his first two operas, Le Villi and Edgar , Puccini now took care of the libretto himself. He justified this with the words: "No idiotic librettist should be allowed to ruin the story - I should definitely have my hands in the creation of the libretto." Over time, seven other people worked on the text besides himself: Ruggero Leoncavallo , Marco Praga, Domenico Oliva, Luigi Illica , Giuseppe Giacosa , Giulio Ricordi and Giuseppe Adami .
Despite the poor success of Puccini's predecessor Edgar , his publisher Giulio Ricordi continued to support him. On April 28, 1889, a week after the premiere, the Gazzetta musicale announced that the two were planning their next operas together. Puccini had received the first reference to the subject of Manon Lescaut in March 1885 from Ferdinando Fontana , the librettist of his first two operas, who drew his attention to an arrangement by Étienne Gosse from 1820. Ricordi's concerns about the proximity to Massenet's opera were rejected by Puccini, stating that a woman like Manon could have several lovers. Since Puccini was dissatisfied with the work of his previous librettist Fontana because of his "pseudo-philosophical ambitions", he decided instead for Marco Praga. He in turn insisted on calling in the young poet Domenico Oliva, with whom he had already worked, for the versification. The contracts were signed in the summer of 1889, and the authors presented a libretto early the following year, the four acts of which were set in Amiens, in the lovers' apartment in Paris, in Geronte's townhouse and in the desert of Louisiana. Puccini then began to work and completed the music for the first act in March 1890. In June, however, he complained about problems that "drove him to despair". In addition, the work was too similar to Massenet's Manon. Puccini now asked for a revision of the text and insisted on a completely new scene for Manon's embarkation in Le Havre. Since Praga refused, Ruggero Leoncavallo created a new action sketch for the second act, which Oliva should work out, on behalf of Ricordi. Due to overwork, Leoncavallo also withdrew. In the autumn of 1891, Luigi Illica took on the task of revising the libretto. Giuseppe Giacosa was hired as a consultant. Illica completed the Le Havre scene and added the lantern keeper's song. The scene in which the captain agrees to take Des Grieux with him comes from Ricordi himself. Puccini also contributed eleven lines for the duet Lescaut / Manon in the Gerontes house, and Leoncavallo wrote two lines at the end of Des Grieux's solo. In the summer of 1892, the original second act, the description of the happy coexistence of lovers, was abandoned and replaced by the first part of the third act. The Le Havre scene now became an act in its own right and received an introductory interlude. Since Oliva now declared that he no longer wanted to be associated with the work, it was agreed to publish the libretto without naming the authors.
Puccini wrote the music of the opera mainly in 1891 and 1892 in Lucca , Torre del Lago and Milan. The third act, composed last, was written in Vacallo in Switzerland. In October 1892 he finished the work. As in some of his other works, he also used older music in Manon . For the madrigal in the second act he used the Agnus Dei of his Messa di Gloria (1880). He took the melody of Des Grieux's aria "Donna non vidi mai" from Mentìa l'avviso (1883). The introduction is an accelerated version of a minuet for string quartet from 1884. Motifs from the string quartet elegy Crisantemi can be found in the third and fourth acts.
In the year of the premiere in 1893, Puccini revised the finale of the first act. He replaced the original pezzo concertato with a dialogue between Lescaut and Geronte and a performance by the students with Edmont. Even later he kept changing the work. Manon's aria “Sola, perduta, abbandonata” in the fourth act was left out for a long time and resumed on December 26, 1922 with a different ending in Milan (text: Giuseppe Adami). The conductor Arturo Toscanini , under whose direction this version was heard for the first time in Milan, suggested further changes to the score, which also remained permanent. This version is considered the definitive version of the opera.
The premiere took place on February 1, 1893 in the presence of the composer in the Teatro Regio in Turin . The stage design came from Ugo Gheduzzi and Alfonso Goldini, the costumes from Adolfo Hohenstein . Alessandro Pomè was the musical director. It sang Cesira Ferrani (Manon Lescaut), Achille Moro (Lescaut), Giuseppe Cremonini (Des Grieux), Alessandro Polonini (Geronte de Ravoir), Roberto Ramini (Edmondo, dancing master and lantern guards), Augusto Castagnoli (host), Elvira Ceresoli-Salvatori (Musico) and Ferdinando Cattadori (sergeant and naval commander). Augusto Ginghini played the wig maker.
The performance was a great success. Critics praised his “stylistic independence” and “the effective treatment of the orchestra”. The director's book (“disposizione scenica”) published by Ricordi became the template for subsequent productions by other companies. The Austrian premiere in Trento was already in June 1893, before the opera was performed in other small and medium-sized Italian theaters in autumn. Puccini was present in almost all of these productions. The revised first final was played for the first time on December 21, 1893 in Novara. The performances in Naples from January 21, 1894 (conductor: Vincenzo Lombardi ; Manon: Eva Tetrazzini , Des Grieux: Fernando Valero, Lescaut: Arturo Pessina) were like the following production in Milan from February 7, 1894 (conductor: Edoardo Mascheroni ; Manon: Olga Olgina, later Hariclea Darclée ; Des Grieux: Giuseppe Cremonini, later Edoardo Garbin) huge successes. The opera stayed in the La Scala repertoire and was staged there at longer intervals, for example in the 1920s by Giovacchino Forzano , in 1934 by Mario Frigerio, in 1957 by Franco Enriquez and in 1978 by Piero Faggioni .
Puccini was now also internationally recognized. Outside Italy, Manon Lescaut was played in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Petersburg and Madrid in his first year, in Prague, London, Montevideo, Philadelphia and Mexico in 1894, in Santiago de Chile in 1895 and in Wallack's Theater in New York, Athens and 1898 Amsterdam. Foreign language versions also appeared quickly:
- 1893: Hamburg - German translation by Ludwig Hartmann; Conductor: Otto Lohse , Director: Franz Bittong; Manon: Berta Foerster-Lauterer, Des Grieux: Willi Birrenkoven
- 1894: Budapest - Hungarian translation by Antal Rado (conductor: Arthur Nikisch)
- 1894: Prague - Czech translation by Václav Juda Novotný
- 1895: Warsaw - Polish translation by Adolf Kitschman
- 1906: Nice - French translation by Maurice Vaucaire; 1907 also played in Marseille and Antwerp
In addition to La Scala in Milan, other important venues were the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London and the Metropolitan Opera New York. The first performance in London was on May 11, 1894, as Ricordi only gave the performing rights for Verdi's Falstaff together with those of Manon Lescaut . In 1904 the work was sung here for the first time in English. Puccini was personally present at the premiere at the MET in 1907. Lina Cavalieri (Manon) and Enrico Caruso (Des Grieux) sang here .
Other important productions were:
- 1908: Volksoper Wien , in German, in the presence of Puccini
- 1908: Berlin, in German
- 1923: Vienna State Opera , in German, text editing: Franz Schalk ; Director: Woldemar Runge ; Manon: Lotte Lehmann , Des Grieux: Alfred Piccaver
- 1934: Hamburg; Production: Oscar Fritz Schuh ; Conductor: Richard Richter
- 1953: Dresden; Production: Joachim Herz
- 1954: Hamburg; Production: Günther Rennert ; Conductor: Albert Bittner
- 1955: Komische Oper Berlin ; Production: Joachim Herz ; Conductor: Meinhard von Zallinger ; Manon: Melitta Muszely
- 1956: Vienna State Opera , in German; Production: Günther Rennert ; Conductor: Rudolf Moralt ; Manon: Carla Martinis , Des Grieux: Rudolf Schock
- 1964: Vienna State Opera , in Italian; Conductor: Mario Rossi
- 1971: Deutsche Oper Berlin ; Production: Boleslaw Barlog ; Conductor: Lorin Maazel ; Manon: Pilar Lorengar , Des Grieux: James King
- 1979: Hamburg; Production: Götz Friedrich ; Conductor: Silvio Varviso
- 1973: Spoleto; Production: Luchino Visconti
- 1981: Munich; Production: Giancarlo Del Monaco
- 1982: Bonn; Production: Luca Ronconi
- 1983: Frankfurt: Production: Hansgünther Heyme
- 1986: Vienna State Opera ; Production: Otto Schenk ; Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli ; Manon: Mirella Freni , Des Grieux: Peter Dvorský
- 1987: Mannheim; Production: Wolf Seesemann
- 1988: State Opera Berlin ; Production: Horst Bonnet
- 1990: Paris Opera ; Director: Robert Carsen ; also in 1991 at the Vlaamse Opera Antwerp; there from 1996 as part of a seven-part Puccini cycle
- 1997: Glyndebourne Festival Opera ; Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner
- 1998: Teatro alla Scala Milan; Conductor: Riccardo Muti ; Manon: Maria Guleghina , Des Grieux: José Cura
- 2001: Bavarian State Opera Munich; Production: Andreas Homoki , stage: Wolfgang Gussmann
Recordings
Puccini's Manon Lescaut has appeared many times on phonograms. Operadis lists 85 recordings in the period from 1931 to 2009. Therefore, only those recordings that have been particularly distinguished in specialist journals, opera guides or the like or that are worth mentioning for other reasons are listed below.
- 1930 - Lorenzo Molajoli (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro alla Scala Milan.
Maria Zamboni (Manon Lescaut), Lorenzo Conati (Lescaut), Francesco Merli (Des Grieux), Attilio Bardonali (Geronte de Ravoir), Giuseppe Nessi (Edmondo, dance master and lantern keeper ), Anna Masetti-Bassi (musico), Aristide Baracchi (sergeant ), Natale Villa (naval commander).
Studio shot; first known recording.
Phonographe CD: PH 5006/7, Cantus Classics 500045 (2 CDs). - July 1954 - Jonel Perlea (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma .
Licia Albanese (Manon Lescaut), Robert Merrill (Lescaut), Jussi Björling (Des Grieux), Franco Calabrese (Geronte de Ravoir and Sergeant), Mario Carlin (Edmondo, dance master and lantern keeper ), Enrico Campi (landlord and naval commander), Anna Maria Rota (Musico).
Studio shot.
Gramophone recommendation: “Additional Recommendation”.
RCA CD: GD 60573, Naxos historical 8.111030-31 (2 CDs). - Mar. 31, 1956 - Dimitri Mitropoulos (Conductor), Orchestra and Choir of the Metropolitan Opera New York.
Licia Albanese (Manon Lescaut), Franco Guarrera (Lescaut), Jussi Björling (Des Grieux), Fernando Corena (Geronte de Ravoir), Thomas Hayward (Edmondo), George Cehanovsky (landlord), Rosalind Elias (Musico), Alessio de Paolis ( Dance Master), James McCracken (Lantern Keeper), Calvin Marsh (Sergeant), Osie Hawkins (Navy Commander).
Live from New York.
Opernwelt : "A certain reference [...] because of Dimitri Mitropoulos, who also works out the dramatic fever curve in this work."
Melodrama CD: 27502, Fonit Cetra LP: DOC 9. - July 1957 - Tullio Serafin (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro alla Scala Milan.
Maria Callas (Manon Lescaut), Giulio Fioravanti (Lescaut), Giuseppe Di Stefano (Des Grieux), Franco Calabrese (Geronte de Ravoir), Dino Formichini (Edmondo), Carlo Forti (landlord), Fiorenza Cossotto (Musico), Vito Tatone ( Dance master), Franco Riccardi (lantern keeper), Giuseppe Morresi (sergeant), Franco Ventriglia (naval commander).
Studio shot.
Opernwelt CD tip: "artistically valuable".
Csampai / Holland: "Discographic recommendation".
Gramophone recommendation: “Additional Recommendation”.
EMI CD: CDS 7 47393 8, EMI LP: 29 0041 3 mono. - December 1983, January 1984 - Giuseppe Sinopoli (conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra London, Covent Garden Opera Choir, London.
Mirella Freni (Manon Lescaut), Renato Bruson (Lescaut), Plácido Domingo (Des Grieux), Kurt Rydl (Geronte de Ravoir), Robert Gambill (Edmondo), George MacPherson (landlord), Brigitte Fassbaender (Musico), John Fryatt (dance master ), Mark Curtis (Lantern Keeper), Paschal Allen and / or Handel Thomas (Sergeant), John Tomlinson (Navy Commander).
Studio shot; Completely.
Opernwelt CD tip: "DDD recording".
Csampai / Holland: "Discographic recommendation".
DG CD: 435 408 2, DGG CD: 413 893-2, DGG LP: 413 893-1, DGG MC: 413 893-4. - May / June 1987 - Riccardo Chailly (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna .
Kiri Te Kanawa (Manon Lescaut), Paolo Coni (Lescaut), José Carreras (Des Grieux), Italo Tajo (Geronte de Ravoir), William Matteuzzi (Edmondo), Ledo Freschi (landlord), Margarita Zimmermann (Musico), Piero de Palma (Dance master), Carlo Gaifa (lantern keeper), Giorgio Tadeo (sergeant), Natale de Carolis (naval commander).
Studio shot.
Csampai / Holland: "Discographic recommendation".
DECCA CD: 421 426-2 (2 CDs). - January 1991 - Silvio Varviso (conductor), Robert Carsen (staging), orchestra and choir of the Vlaamse Opera .
Miriam Gauci (Manon Lescaut), Jan Danckaert (Lescaut), Antonio Ordonez (Des Grieux), Jules Bastin (Geronte de Ravoir), Barry Ryan (Edmondo, dance master and lantern keeper), Herman Bekaert (landlord), Pia Raanoja (music).
Video; live from Anvers.
Gramophone : "A rather overstylized production but with superb conducting by Silvio Varviso."
Arthaus DVD 100 224, VL KLASSIK VI: VLRM 022. - August 1992 - James Levine (Conductor), Orchestra and Choir of the Metropolitan Opera .
Mirella Freni (Manon Lescaut), Dwayne Croft (Lescaut), Luciano Pavarotti (Des Grieux), Giuseppe Taddei (Geronte de Ravoir), Ramón Vargas (Edmondo), Cecilia Bartoli (Musico), Anthony Laciura (dance master), Paul Groves (lantern keeper ), James Courtney (Sergeant), Federico Davià (Navy Commander).
Studio shot.
Gramophone recommendation: "The Gramophone Choice".
DECCA CD: 440 200 2. - May 1997 - John Eliot Gardiner (conductor), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Festival Chorus.
Adina Nitescu (Manon Lescaut), Roberto de Candia (Lescaut), Patrik Denniston (Des Grieux), Paolo Montarsolo (Geronte de Ravoir), Antonello Palombi (Edmondo), Richard Mosley-Evans (landlord and naval commander), Sarah Connolly (Musico) , Christopher Lemmings (dance master), Michael Hart-Davies (lantern keeper), Kevin Sharp (sergeant).
Video; live from Glyndebourne.
Opernwelt : "Model-like staging [...] that receives strong musical support from John Eliot Gardiner's lively, momentarily electrifying conduct."
Warner Music Vision VIDEO: 0630-18647-3, Warner Music Vision 51442-0489-2 (1 DVD). - June 1998 - Riccardo Muti (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro alla Scala Milan.
Maria Guleghina (Manon Lescaut), Lucio Gallo (Lescaut), José Cura (Des Grieux), Luigi Roni (Geronte de Ravoir), Marco Berti (Edmondo), Aldo Mori (landlord), Gloria Banditelli (Musico), Mario Bolognesi (dance master ), Ernesto Gavazzi (lantern keeper), Silvestro Sammaritano (sergeant), Ernesto Panariello (naval commander).
Audio and video; live from Milan; Completely.
Csampai / Holland: "Discographic recommendation".
Gramophone : "Riccardo Muti directs an exciting version of an opera that falls short on subtlety."
DGG 463 186-2 (2 CDs), TDK DVWW OPMLE (1 DVD). - 2014 - Antonio Pappano (conductor), Jonathan Kent (staging), Paul Brown (equipment), Denni Sayers (choreography), Orchestra of the Royal Opera House , Royal Opera Chorus.
Kristīne Opolais (Manon Lescaut), Christopher Maltman (Lescaut), Jonas Kaufmann (Des Grieux), Maurizio Muraro (Geronte de Ravoir), Benjamin Hulett (Edmondo).
Video; live from London.
Opernwelt : "London recording under Antonio Pappano's usual color-intensive direction [...] with haunting images, hardly poetically suggestive, but direct, garish, as a time-critical image in the present."
Sony 888751051997 (DVD). - 2016 - Marco Armiliato (conductor), Münchner Rundfunkorchester , Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor .
Anna Netrebko (Manon Lescaut), Armando Pina (Lescaut), Yusif Eyvazov (Des Grieux), Carlos Chausson (Geronte de Ravoir), Benjamin Bernheim (Edmondo), Szilvia Vörös (Musico).
Live from Salzburg.
Opera world : "Anna Netrebko shines as Salzburg's 'Manon Lescaut'."
DG 50388089 (2 CDs).
Other edits
Based on the same substance:
- Manon Lescaut , opera by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber
- Manon , opera by Jules Massenet
- Boulevard Solitude , opera by Hans Werner Henze
expenditure
score
- Ricordi, Milan 1893 (SC 64.E.2A: PN 96389)
- Ricordi, Milan 1898 (?) (SC 64.E.4A: PN 96389)
- Ricordi, Milan 1915 (SC 64.E.6: PN 115300)
- Ricordi, Milan 1924 (SC 64.E.8B: PN 115300)
- Ricordi, Milan 1958 (SC 64.E.8D: PN PR113)
- Roger Parker (Ed.), 2013 (PN 139071)
Vocal score
- Ricordi, Carlo Carignani (Ed.), 1892 (SC 64.E.1: PN 95567, 277 pages)
- Ricordi, 1893 (SC 64.E.2: PN 95567, 275 pages)
- Ricordi, 1893 (SC 64.E.3: PN 95567, 262 pages, new Finale I)
- Ricordi, 1898 (?) (SC 64.E.4: PN 95567, 264 pages)
- Ricordi, 1909 (SC 64.E.5: PN 95567, 258 pages, without Manon's aria in the fourth act)
- Ricordi, 1923 (SC 64.E.7: PN 95567, 264 pages)
- Ricordi, 1924 at the earliest (SC 64.E.8: PN 95567, 263 pages)
- Ricordi, Mario Parenti (Ed.), 1960 (SC 64.E.8: PN 95567, 263 pages)
- Roger Parker (Ed.), 2015 (PN 139074)
libretto
- Ricordi, from 1893 (61 pages)
- Ludwig Hartmann, 1893 (German)
- Joachim Popelka, Georg C. Winkler, 1955 (German)
- Joachim Herz , Eginhard Röhlig (1992)
Director's book ("disposizione scenica")
- Ricordi, Milan 1893 (No. 96457)
Web links
- Manon Lescaut : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Libretto (Italian), Milan 1893. Digitized in the Internet Archive
- Libretto (German translation by Ludwig Hartmann), Milan undated. Digitized from the Library of Congress
- Manon Lescaut (Giacomo Puccini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna
- Plot and libretto of it at Opera Guide landing page for URL upgrade currently unavailable
- Discography of Manon Lescaut at Operadis
- Work information and libretto (Italian) as full text on librettidopera.it
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Richard Erkens: Manon Lescaut. In: Richard Erkens (Ed.): Puccini Handbook. Metzler, Stuttgart 2017, ISBN 978-3-476-05441-8 (Metzler eBook), pp. 220-231.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Norbert Christen: Manon Lescaut. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 5: Works. Piccinni - Spontini. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1994, ISBN 3-492-02415-7 , pp. 96-101.
- ↑ Manon Lescaut. In: Rudolf Kloiber , Wulf Konold , Robert Maschka: Handbuch der Oper. 9th, expanded, revised edition 2002. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag / Bärenreiter, ISBN 3-423-32526-7 , pp. 555–558.
- ↑ Libretto from it at Opera-Guide target page due to URL change currently not available .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Manon Lescaut. In: Attila Csampai , Dietmar Holland : Opera guide. E-book. Rombach, Freiburg im Breisgau 2015, ISBN 978-3-7930-6025-3 , pp. 959-970.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Julian Budden: Manon Lescaut (ii). In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
- ↑ Manon Lescaut - Brani significativi in the work information on librettidopera.it , accessed on July 2, 2019.
- ↑ a b Gabriella Biagi Ravenni, Dieter Schickling (ed.): Giacomo Puccini: Epistolario 1 (1877-1896). Florence 2015.
- ^ Giuseppe Adami : Puccini. Milan 1935; German by Lotte Leber. Stuttgart 1943.
- ↑ a b c Emanuele d'Angelo: Puccini and the librettists. In: Richard Erkens (Ed.): Puccini Handbook. Metzler, Stuttgart 2017, ISBN 978-3-476-05441-8 (Metzler eBook), pp. 78–80.
- ↑ Michele Girardi: Puccini. His International Art (translated from Italian by Laura Basini). Chicago / London 2000. Italian original edition: Michele Girardi: Giacomo Puccini. L 'arte internazionale di un musicista italiano. Venice 1995.
- ↑ a b Manon Lescaut. In: Reclams Opernlexikon (= digital library . Volume 52). Philipp Reclam jun. at Directmedia, Berlin 2001, p. 1601.
- ^ February 1, 1893: "Manon Lescaut". In: L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia ..
- ^ Peter Franken: Robert Carsen, een personal impressie. In: Place de l'Opéra, October 29, 2015, accessed on July 3, 2019.
- ↑ a b c d e Manon Lescaut. In: Harenberg opera guide. 4th edition. Meyers Lexikonverlag, 2003, ISBN 3-411-76107-5 , pp. 684-687.
- ^ Discography on Manon Lescaut at Operadis.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Giacomo Puccini. In: Andreas Ommer: Directory of all complete opera recordings (= Zeno.org . Volume 20). Directmedia, Berlin 2005.
- ↑ a b c Puccini’s Manon Lescaut on Gramophone , accessed June 30, 2019.
- ↑ Ekkehard Pluta: Truly contra veristic. In: Opernwelt , June 2009, p. 30.
- ↑ Review of the DVD by Silvio Varviso on Gramophone , accessed on June 30, 2019.
- ↑ Ekkehard Pluta: Faithfulness to the work as an alibi and a challenge. In: Opernwelt , June 2007, p. 55.
- ^ Review of the CD by Riccardo Muti. In: Gramophone , 5/2000, accessed June 30, 2019.
- ↑ Christoph Vratz: Bright, pale, opulent. In: Opernwelt , June 2016.
- ↑ Jürgen Kesting : Limits of beautiful song. In: Opernwelt , January 2017, p. 24.