Muti needs no introduction and chiara is no stranger to cinema and theatre audiences in italy. In the title role, soprano chiara taigi has some lovely sounds in the middle of her range, but overall the melodramatic approach forces everything. Sola, perduta, abbandonata manon lescaut, puccini maria chiara soprano angelo campori direttore torino, 1 febbraio 1985. Jul 21, 2012 manon is a heroine i believe in and therefore she cannot fail to win the hearts of the public. Giacomo puccini escorted by her brother lescaut, manon is on her way to a convent when she meets. Manon lescaut welsh national opera birmingham hippodrome one must ultimately wonder what any deceased composer would make of their works when the original story is diverted to either support or redirect the original intention. It could be easily labeled as a classic, picturesque short tale of a doomed love affair between a noble young man, chevalier des grieux, and a beautiful maiden from a lower breed, set in the paris of the regence, a convulsive era where class structures and ancient regime ruled the world. Mar 04, 2014 anna netrebko sings the title role in puccinis manon lescaut during a run at the rome opera. Trelinski also directs a new production of boulevard solitude, which also features the heroine manon lescaut. His first defining glimpse of manon in her tarty red mac is more film noir than brief encounter, but it is less grim than the nightclub setup of rich, old sleazebag.
Puccini discoveries by orchestra sinfonica di milano giuseppe. Chiara taigi in tv and radio has the most leaded presence as opera singer in rai tv and in the most important italian tv channels, also performed in the world tv and sat as bbc, france2 e france3, arte, zdf, udmtv24, neva, etc. Manon lescaut 1893, an opera by italian composer giacomo puccini. There will be a free preperformance talk on friday 11 april at 5. She also directed purcells dido and aeneas at the caracalla festival in rome last summer. Chiara taigi as manon struggles on valiantly with a charmless characterisation, with. Lothar koenigss interpretation had drive, passion and a real sense of the shape of the piece. Boulevard solitude 1952 lyrisches drama lyric drama or opera by german composer hans werner henze. The young chevalier des grieux renounces his riches and his noble family to be with the incomparable manon. She wanted to taste the tempting fruit of adult life. But this is her biggest test in one of the top italian opera. In the tricky titlerole chiara taigi acquitted herself admirably. Review manon lescaut, wno by 3rd age critic barbara.
Manon lescaut oxford worlds classics 9780199554928. Tra voi belle, his first aria, sounds like a threat. How those dancers must long for a pair of sensible cotton briefs. Stream puccini discoveries by orchestra sinfonica di milano giuseppe verdi and riccardo chailly and tens of millions of other songs on all your devices with amazon music unlimited. This rather played to trelinskis vampish view of manon, taigi striking the femme fatale posturing convincingly. Memories and adventures of a man of quality who has retired from the world.
His manon, chiara taigi, fielded a big, dusky, voluptuous soprano, so dark and metallic in the lower register that she could almost be mistaken for a dramatic mezzo in places. High notes have a tendency to harden under pressure, but she digs into the rich mezzosoprano. Manon lescaut is one of a trio of operas being performed as part of the fallen women season by the welsh national opera wno that is currently touring the uk before heading off to finland. Manon lescaut is twerking should we applaud or shudder. Manon lescaut by abbe prevost free ebook project gutenberg.
It could be argued that mario del monaco in particular was never a great thinker, but hes particularly brassy here, singing at a consistent yell and coming across as irritated when he ought to be enamored. Not only is his manon chiara taigi already fallen when she first appears in a red plastic raincoat and dark glasses, a gangsters moll to the life, but by the last act he has two fallen manons, both very much alive and kicking but still falling. Trelinski is in any case much taken with the theme. That her timbre doesnt really lend itself to innocence worked in the service of trelinskis characterisation, and that her two great arias didnt activate the tearducts. Now just months later she has discovered that the fruit is rotten at the core. Manon lescaut libretto english opera by giacomo puccini. Chiara taigi s repertory, today have more than 70 operas titles and over 400 performances, encompasses the major leading soprano roles of verdi, puccini. Manon lescaut, welsh national opera puccini charmer rehoused in an airport lounge, saved by the conductor. This new production of puccinis opera is arousing interest partly because riccardo muti is conducting and his daughter chiara is directing. As an impressionable young woman she wanted it all. High notes have a tendency to harden under pressure, but she digs into the rich mezzosoprano realms of her voice well. Aided by manons brother lescaut david kempster des grieux and manon meet and plot to run away together. Manon lescaut was puccinis third opera and his first great success. Combining jazz, 19thcentury opera and 20thcentury styles this is.
In the second act manon has already been tempted to leave des grieux and is living a dull if relatively luxurious life with geronte. News, opinion and commentary general interest operas. Sex, drugs and violins manon lescaut and boulevard. The production comes from the washington national opera, with. The story of the chevalier des grieux and manon lescaut french.
By any definition, the heroine of puccinis breakthrough opera, manon lescaut, epitomises the fallen woman, upon whom welsh national opera is focusing this season. Jun 01, 2004 manon lescaut by the abbe prevost was a controversial novel originally banned in france due to its scandalous content the passionate and unrepentant sensual relationship of a young nobleman and a beautiful courtesan. She acknowledged that she was greatly pleased with me, and that she should be enchanted to owe to me her freedom and future happiness. Manon, beautifully sung by chiara taigi, tells the hopeful des grieux that she is to go into a convent that following day. Nothing, however, could be less prissy or victorian than mariusz. Manon is sent to prison in america, followed by the love stricken des grieux, but by the end both are mentally lost. An odd mixture of contemporary design, riskily explorative action and stunning, traditional composition, trelinskis manon lescaut is a confused reproduction of puccinis first breakthrough hit. Manon lescaut, welsh national opera, wales millennium centre.
Gwyn hughes jones as des grieux and chiara taigi as manon in wnos manon lescaut photo. Manon lescaut chiara taigi lescaut david kempster chevalier des grieux gwyn hughes jones geronte di ravoir stephen richardson sung in italian with surtitles in english. Manon lescaut 1940, a drama in verse by czech poet vitezslav nezval. Gwyn hughes jones des grieux and chiara taigi manon lescaut picture. Its a debate polish director mariusz trelinski seems determined to stoke in puccinis manon lescaut, which he sets in the moral desert of the modern metropolis. Uk production premiere soloists, chorus and orchestra of welsh national opera lothar koenigs conductor, wales millennium centre, cardiff, 8. Soloists, chorus and orchestra of welsh national opera lothar koenigs conductor, venue cymru north wales theatre, llandudno. Misconceived approach to manon lescaut cant hide its. Fortunately for the audience, the singing of soprano chiara taigi as manon is superb. They are offstage from the beginning of the encounter. Now with welsh national opera performing and touring it, and with a new production scheduled for the summer at the royal opera, perhaps its star is in the ascendant again. Geronte, with lescauts connivance, plans to abduct manon, but is overheard by edmond. Puccini discoveries in searchworks catalog skip to search skip to main content.
That her timbre doesnt really lend itself to innocence worked in the service of trelinskis characterisation, and that her two great arias didnt activate the tearducts had more to do with the lack of interiority granted by the director than. The chevalier des grieux the chevalier des grieux day greeyew, a student of philosophy at amiens. Anna netrebko in manon lescaut, at the rome opera the new. Kristine opolais as manon lescaut and jonas kaufmann as chevalier des grieux in. Together they are swept into poverty, misfortunes, and. If trelinskis manon lescaut is intended as a provocation, it has worked. Welsh national opera, wales millennium centre, sat 8 feb. Though the production mostly missed the point, the playing and singing in wnos manon lescaut were outstanding, says rupert christiansen. Manon lescaut this she told me was her name seemed gratified by the visible effect of her own charms.
Welsh national opera at birmingham hippodrome puccinis. Sung in italian with subtitles in english and welsh. The novel tells the story of chevalier des grieux and his lover, the amoral courtesan manon lescaut. Manon lescaut by the abbe prevost was a controversial novel originally banned in france due to its scandalous content the passionate and unrepentant sensual relationship of a young nobleman and a beautiful courtesan. Sex, drugs and violins manon lescaut and boulevard solitude at the wmc 3 mar if the german composer hans werner henze were to write his opera boulevard solitude today, you can guarantee it would be labelled a gritty reboot of puccinis manon lescaut. Manon first performed in 1974, a ballet with music by jules massenet and choreography by kenneth. How those fragrant words linger in my spirit and caress hidden chords. An odd mixture of contemporary design, riskily explorative action and stunning, traditional composition, trelinskis manon lescaut is a confused reproduction of puccinis first breakthrough hit the first of three operas that form wnos fallen women series, manon lescaut. He becomes a seminary student, a card cheat, and finally, returning from new orleans after manon.
For the earnest reader the book is a detail narrative of the lifes and errants of people prefrench revolution. Check out puccini discoveries by orchestra sinfonica di milano giuseppe verdi and riccardo chailly on amazon music. Stanford libraries official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Their plan is foiled by di ravoir who has manon arrested for stealing, while des grieux escapes. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Apr 27, 2007 puccinis manon lescaut the title character in puccinis manon lescaut is a young woman torn between true love and a life of luxury. She stops speaking as she sees lescaut on the balcony of the inn and hurries to join him. Manon lescaut at millennium centre, cardiff the times. Diplomata in canto lirico e numerosi corsi di canto con i piu importanti docenti come peter maag, richard bonynge, regina resnick, jeffrey tate, renata tebaldi. Hardly a good night for puccini or wnos reputation. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Manon lescaut, welsh national opera, wales millennium. The opera was first performed at the metropolitan opera on january 18, 1907. The disc is indispensable for anyone who loves puccini, not only for the lost works but mainly for the hypothetical one that fills the final 23 minutes, a mesmerizing account of the final moments of turandot for which puccini limned only a few sketches before he died. It stars chiara taigi in the title role while david kempster is lescaut. United kingdom giacomo puccini 18581925, manon lescaut 1893. Manon lescaut is a groundbreaking novel of passion and immorality, and one of the most famous love stories of all time. Entertainment 2 welsh national opera is taking part in a nationwide project today in a bid to make opera accessible and at the same time turn the streets of wrexham into a roaming theatre game.
The latvian soprano kristine opolais and the superstar tenor jonas kaufmann were tackling the roles of the lovers, manon and des grieux, for. This crude performance features two of the greatest singers of the 1950s at their most unimaginative. Manon lescaut, welsh national opera, wno, cardiff, february 2014 posted on 9 february 2014. If the german composer hans werner henze were to write his opera boulevard solitude today, you can guarantee it would be labelled a gritty reboot of puccinis manon lescaut. Nov 27, 2016 it has always seemed to me a shame that puccini in his third opera, manon lescaut, left out the brief interlude in manons tragic life when she had found happiness with her chevalier. That her timbre doesnt really lend itself to innocence worked in the service of trelinskis characterisation, and that her two great arias didnt activate the tearducts had more to do with the lack of interiority granted by the director than with taigis lovely pianissimos and innate sense of line. The story of the chevalier des grieux and of manon lescaut. Manon lescaut and boulevard solitude geronte, to whom lescaut hopes to pimp out his sister to in order to make some money. Hans werner henzes powerful, intoxicating opera is a compelling vision of postwar europe. Manon lescaut is a deceptive novel in multiple ways. Manon lescaut, wales millennium centre, cardiff financial times. Information on rescheduled and cancelled opera performances from around the world click here to view. Misconceived approach to manon lescaut cant hide its musical power entirely 22014 united kingdom puccini, manon lescaut.
Trelinskis deromanticizing of the plot of puccinis manon lescaut makes for a compelling piece of theatre its just not manon. She proved her talent with manon lescaut in rome and marriage of figaro in naples and bari, says papa muti. Welsh national opera calls its spring season fallen women, which emanates a whiff of tuttutting victorian prissiness. Manon lescaut by the abbe prevost full text free book part. Manon lescaut by the abbe prevost full text free book. The books writer was a man of deep culture and the. Manon chiara taigi, in the original a virgin en route to a convent school, first appears in vampish heels and a crimson raincoat, cigarette clamped between her bloodred lips.
Goodreads members who liked manon lescaut also liked. The chevalier des grieux is still a young man, but already life and bitter experience have worn him to a shell. Chiara taigi as manon lescaut in welsh national operas production of. Manon lescaut, welsh national opera, wno, cardiff, february. You see, both are adaptations of the same 18th century french novel, about the trials and tribulations of the eponymous fallen woman, manon, though musically, and philosophically, they couldnt be any more different. Chiara taigi as manon struggles on valiantly with a charmless characterisation, with looks and shape for the hooker with a. Considered scandalous at the time, it was immediately banned. Wnos new production is directed by mariusz trelinski and conducted by the cardiffbased companys music director lothar koenigs. Throughout the book manon is viewed through the eyes of the men who. Manon lescaut by anna netrebko, yusif eyvazov, armando pina, konzertvereinigung wiener staatsopernchor, munchner rundfunkorchester, marco armiliato from amazons classical music store. Find books like manon lescaut from the worlds largest community of readers. Puccini discoveries by orchestra sinfonica di milano.
1468 377 511 1014 581 563 478 304 510 268 1536 668 496 755 802 864 1490 178 1425 152 345 633 139 865 326 1497 975 586 902 794 626 297 187 743 1403 612 526 754 622 706 1293 552 750 1021 17