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OPERA
Spotlight on Manon
by JOSEPH SO
Among the thirty-three operas
composed by Jules
Massenet (1842-1912),
Manon is arguably his most
popular and has had a firm
hold on the standard repertoire since its
premiere in 1884. According to statistics
of past and scheduled future performances
from Jan. 2011 to Dec. 2015, the
total is 86 performances of Manon,
making it the 62 nd most popular opera in
the world. Yes, it’s far down the list in
popularity when you compare it to La traviata
(629) or La bohème (580), but it
beats out popular works the likes of La
clemenza di Tito (83), La forza del destino
(72), and Die Meistersinger (64).
Based on the 1731 novella L’histoire du
chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut
by Abbé Prevost, the story of Manon inspired
other composers besides Massenet.
There are two ballets, by Jean-Louis
Aumer (1830) and Sir Kenneth
MacMillan (1974), as well as operas by Auber
(1856), Puccini (1893), and Hans Werner
Henze (1952), this last with the title of
Boulevard Solitude. Even Massenet himself
wrote a one-act sequel, Le portrait de Manon
in 1894, with des Grieux now as an old man.
The character of Manon is a kindred sister to
Salome, Lulu, Carmen, Delilah and Kundry, a
long line of women labeled as archetypal femmes
fatales, sexually alluring but also dangerous and
forbidden, ultimately bringing disaster to
anyone involved with them. Leaving aside for a
moment the misogynistic nature of this view, the
role of Manon is a great vehicle for a singing
actress. The soprano must possess a gorgeous
voice with a full palette of tone colours, capable
of beautiful mezza voce and lightness of touch in
the Gavotte. A caressing, seductive tone is best
in the Massenet Manon while a big-voiced spinto
would do better in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut.
Vivid acting is important, as she must tug at our
heart strings when she dies. Given the imageconscious
era we live in, opera audiences expect
a certain physique du role to make Manon believable.
By the same token, an ideal des Grieux
should possess an elegant, ingratiating lyric
tenor, and an ardent quality to his acting.
Famous Manons of the past include Sybil
Sanderson, Fanny Heldy, Lucrezia Bori, Bidu
Sayao, Victoria de los Angeles, Anna Moffo and
MARIANNE FISET
BRUNO RIBEIRO AS LE CHEVALIER DES
GRIEUX IN 2011.
PHOTO T+T Foto / Tanja Dorendorf
PHOTO Fiona Mak
Beverly Sills. In our own time, Renée Fleming,
Angela Gheorghiu, Anna Netrebko and Natalie
Dessay have all had great success in this role.
Opera de Montreal has brought together a
strong cast, with Quebec soprano Marianne
Fiset (Manon) reprising a role she sang last season
in Paris. Portuguese tenor Bruno Ribeiro
brings to Des Grieux a warm and plangent tone
and handsome stage presence. Fast-rising
Canadian baritone Gordon Bintner will be
Lescaut. Veteran bass Alain Coulombe will
bring the necessary gravitas to the role of Le
Comte Des Grieux.
Massenet's Manon : May 18, 21, 23, and 25 at 7:30.
operademontreal.com
DISCOGRAPHY
Among the many old recordings, a
good choice would be Brazilian
soprano Bidu Sayao in one of her best
roles, drawn from a 1943 Met radio
archive conducted by Sir Thomas
Beecham, on the Walhall label. Do
beware of poor sound, however. Very
famous in its day was the 1955 EMI
mono recording with Victoria de los
Angeles as Manon, with Pierre
Monteux conducting the Opera
Comique Orchestra, now available as a
Naxos Historical release. Also terrific
is the 1970 stereo recording with Julius
Rudel conducting Beverly Sills, Nicolai
Gedda, Gerard Souzay and Gabriel
Bacquier, now on DG. A 1982 version
on EMI with Ileana Cotrubas, Alfredo
Kraus, Jose van Dam and Canada’s
Gino Quilico conducted by Michel
Plasson is well worth sampling.
Among the recent recordings, a good
choice is yet another EMI recording
with Angela Gheorghiu and Robert
Alagna as the lovers, with Antonio
Pappano conducting the Orchestra
from La Monnaie.
If you want a DVD, there are four
versions all of varying degrees of merit.
My favourite is the 2007 Berlin performance
on DG with Anna Netrebko and
Rolando Villazon conducted by Daniel
Barenboim. This Manon is made up to
look like Marilyn Monroe in Act 3!
Netrebko and Villazon practically burn
up the stage in a red-hot St. Sulpice
Scene. A 2008 performance from
Barcelona on Virgin Classics with
Villazon and Natalie Dessay is good
too, with her as a stunning Manon
acting-wise, but unfortunately
Villazon sounds tired as it was taped at
the start of his vocal crisis. His cracked
notes in the original live telecast I saw
have been fixed for this DVD release.
Fans of Renée Fleming will want her
2001 Paris Opera version with Marcelo
Alvarez, conducted by Jesus Lopez-
Cobos on the Sony label. Finally, admirers
of Edita Gruberova would love the
1983 Wiener Staatsoper performance
with her and Francisco Araiza, both in
their absolute prime.
LSM
24
AVRIL/MAI 2013 APRIL MAY