MASSENET - Manon
Abbé Prévost’s story of an innocent girl destined for a convent school being seduced on the one hand by love for a poor student and on the other riches provided by a nobleman inspired two composers to compose great operas – one was the Italian Giacomo Puccini (1850-1924), the other the Frenchman Jules Massenet (1842-1912). Massenet, premiered in 1884, spread the story over five acts giving considerable scope for character development whilst Puccini’s, which followed nine years later, has the drama concentrated into four acts, the last of which takes place in the desert of Louisiana whereas Massenet’s Manon dies before she even boards the ship. As the story’s main characters are young it is good to have young – or at least young-sounding – singers and in Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna one has the ideal pairing. The chorus and orchestra are from the Opéra de la Monnaie in Brussels where Antonio Pappano was music director for many years before his appointment at the Royal Opera in London.

0946 3 81832 2 8 (2 CDs)
0946 3 81832 5 9 (Digital Download)