His undeniable gift for detail, vivid orchestrations and emotional insight are already present, and its interesting to see how a composer who stuck so steadfastly to realist material for the rest of his. The story of the chevalier des grieux and manon lescaut is a novel by antoine francois prevost. Although i was delighted to find him so determined, i called m. See more ideas about opera, opera singers and singer. The books writer was a man of deep culture and the. The story of the chevalier des grieux and manon lescaut french. The man who created manon lescaut was, like his heroine, full of contradictions. The royal opera 2014 ukproductions manon bylaurentpelly. The book was written by antoinefrancois prevost, who was in and out of schools, studying to become a priest and must have come close enough to earn the title. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of. Manon lescaut is a deceptive novel in multiple ways. Albanian soprano ermonela jaho on playing manon, an impulsive young woman who chooses luxury over love.
For her first major studio account of an operatic role, shes taken on another, rather less familiar, heroine who. For the earnest reader the book is a detail narrative of the lifes and errants of people prefrench revolution. Ermonela jaho as manon lescaut in laurent pellys production of manon. The albanian lyric soprano ermonela jaho certainly has a reputation for suffering beautifully. Just as the chevalier is helpless to end their relationship, so manon is.
Laurent pellys production of manon, in which ermonela jaho sings the title role, opens on 14 january massenets classic opera follows the story of manon lescaut, a beautiful, impulsive young woman who falls passionately in love as an innocent teenager, before sacrificing it all in favour of a life of riches and luxury. Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from penguin random house. 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. The sweetness of her glance or rather, my evil star already in i. The book has since had an enormous influence on french literature, and the literature of the western world. The soprano discusses the appealing and deeply flawed heroine of massenets opera. Essential library of opera, times books henry holt and company, 2004. Manon lescaut is een tussen 1889 en 1893 gecomponeerde opera of een lyrisch drama in.