Jules Massenet
Manon
Live in HD
Following her radiant performance in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette—which garnered raves for “high notes that spun like liquid gold … Sierra touched the operatic firmament” (The New York Times)—superstar soprano Nadine Sierra takes on another alluring French heroine, the irresistible title character of Massenet’s passionate drama, live from the Met stage to cinemas worldwide. Leading tenor Matthew Polenzani is her idealistic lover, the Chevalier des Grieux, with rising-star baritone Andrzej Filończyk as her stalwart cousin, Lescaut, in a breathtaking Belle Époque staging by director Laurent Pelly. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.
English StreamText captioning is available for the Met’s transmission of Manon here. A transcript of the transmission will also be available to view after the live performance.
Buy tickets for Manon live in the opera house here.
Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund
The Met gratefully acknowledges the support of Elizabeth M. and Jean-Marie R. Eveillard, and Marina Kellen French
Sung In
French
Estimated Run Time
4 hours 25 min
World premiere: Opéra-Comique, Paris, 1884. A sublime take on the quintessentially French tale of the beautiful young woman who is incapable of forsaking both love and luxury, Massenet’s Manon features one of the truly unforgettable, irresistible, and archetypal female characters in opera. While the story is firmly set in class and gender issues of the past, the character of Manon herself is timeless, convincing, and familiar. The opera has been a success ever since its premiere, championed by a diverse roster of singers who have cherished its dramatic opportunities, exalted style, and ravishing music.
Creators
Jules Massenet (1842–1912), a French composer wildly popular in his day, was noted for his operas, songs, and oratorios. While Manon has maintained a steady place in the repertory, in recent decades, several of his other operas, especially Werther (1892) and Thaïs (1894), have been performed more frequently. His librettists for Manon were Henri Meilhac (1831–97) and Philippe Gille (1831–1901), who adapted the hugely influential novel L’Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the colorful Abbé Prévost (1697–1763).
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composer
Jules Massenet
Production
Laurent Pelly
SET DESIGNER
Chantal Thomas
COSTUME DESIGNER
Laurent Pelly
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Joël Adam
CHOREOGRAPHER
Lionel Hoche
C. Graham Berwind, III Chorus Director
Tilman Michael
Setting
The opera is set in and around Paris, with familiar landmarks such as the church of St. Sulpice forming important reference points in the story. The opera was originally set in the early 18th century, but the Met’s current production places the story in the late 19th century, the so-called “Belle Époque” and the time when the opera was written.
Music
Massenet’s score captures the drama of his most memorable heroine with deft craftsmanship, expressive vocal and orchestral writing, and an almost unparalleled level of sensuality. There is no shortage of passion, but much of the music’s romance is different from what one would expect in an Italian opera, or even a more earthy French work such as Bizet’s Carmen. Some of the most dramatically (and erotically) charged passages rely on the simplest effects.
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